A Thousand Pains
by ouiplanete
Summary: After a thousand years Edward Cullen still mourns for Isabella Swan... But then a human girl appears in his life that shakes his very foundation... Edward, then, learns that the power of love can over come everything...
1. The Grave Encounter

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my ideas. Bella & Edward and all other characters are from the imagination of Stephenie Meyer… they are just incorporated into my ideas…

:-D

**A Thousand Pains**

**Chapter 1: The Grave Encounter**

Edward POV

I went racing through the forest as fast as I could. It had been a years since I last went to talk to her. I missed her so much. My beautiful Bella waited for me as she had for many years. It was agonizing for me to stay away from her for even a few days but to be careful, we had to part for many years. I did not care about my safety but for my family's sake I left. I remembered the first conversation we had about us separating as I ran to her…

"_You must go, Edward." Bella whispered. _

"_I don't want to. I can't leave you Bella. I promised I wouldn't." I hugged her tightly to me. She sadly smiled up at me and shrugged._

"_I remember… but I liberate you from that promise. You must leave! The Volturi are after me and they know that where you go; I am… so we must separate. For your family's sake and mine." _

"_Oh, but..."my voice breaking along with my heart. _

"_Good-bye, Edward, until we meet again." She whispered in my ear. I raised her lips to mine and gave her all of me in that one-last kiss. _

If I had been human, I knew that tears would be running down my cheeks. Tears would only have prevented me from seeing where I was going and made my trip to her longer. I felt a tug in my heart as I thought of Bella and tears. She could never cry again either. She could never breathe. She could never have a heart beat. Thinking about Bella made my heart break yet it would beat at the same time. I hadn't wanted this for her yet I had. It was too late now for any regrets.

_"The day is beautiful, isn't it?" Bella asked smiling brightly at me._

_"Yes, Bella. Whatever you say." I chocked. Bella laughed._

_"Please, don't be sad. I'll be OK." _

_"I will never see you again." I said. Alice had told me so. _

_"Yes, you will. I know you will." She whispered very softly and had I not been a vampire I wouldn't have heard her. _

_"Where you're going… I can never go, Bella" I swallowed my sob. _

_"Yes, you can. I will be there waiting for you. Always." _

_"You will wait in vain. How can I join you when I have no…?" I stopped abruptly. I had not meant to say that out loud. My heart broke into a thousand pains and I knew it would never heal. Bella's eyes filled with tears. I had expected that, what I had not expected was her anger. She, suddenly, gasped angrily and glared at me. _

_"Well, if you don't go. Then I will just have to come get you!" _

_"Oh, my Bella." I hugged her tight. "Don't worry love. We will always be together. No matter what… we will be." _

_"Yes… We will…" She sighed._

_"I love you." _

_"I love you," her last breath whispered._

That memory made me stagger as I ran to her. That had been the very last conversation I had had with her after our third separation. It was the last time I had talked to her and held her in my arms. I had seen her a few times before that third time but she hadn't seen me. I had hid from her to keep her safe. I had just wanted to lay my eyes on her and keep her picture alive in my mind.

I was almost there. I was so close to her again. I saw the light shining through the trees and knew that in a few seconds I would be there. I exploded into our meadow and there she was, as she had always been. She was waiting for me in a corner underneath the shadows of the trees. I walked slowly to her and brought out the flowers that she loved. I kneeled before her. My Bella. I felt better now that I was near her again. I gazed at her tombstone and smiled. I put the flowers on her grave and told her all the things I had done for the last thousand years. I did not tell her how each year was a pain just to be alive without her, but just how much I had missed her.


	2. The School Conundrum

Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or New Moon… sad but true…

This is my first fanfic!! Thank you all for the reviews!!!

My story takes place after New Moon… If you didn't catch it in my first chapter, it has been a thousand years since then…

**Chapter 2: The School Conundrum**

**Edward POV**

I came back to my house after spending a whole day talking to Bella. As I walked into my old house I found my siblings sitting around the living room. Emmet and Rosalie sat together in the love seat while Alice and Jasper sat on the couch. I knew that they had just been talking about me. The fact that I could read their minds did not matter. Alice sadly stared at me while Jasper and Emmet avoided looking my way. Rosalie's glare would have told me as plainly as her thought did what she thought of me and what I had just been doing.

_I can't believe he would spend his whole day at a cemetery talking to a corpse._ I felt anger sweep through me at her thought. I felt like lashing out but Jasper's power's helped me calm down... some.

"She's still with me, Rosalie!" I snapped instead.

"She's dead, Edward," She shot back.

"Rose!" Emmet reproached her.

"She's in a better place." I whispered and turned to leave the room. I stopped in my tracks as Carlisle and Esme entered the living room.

"I have enrolled you all at the high school. You can all start tomorrow." Carlisle announced.

"I don't want to go, Carlisle." I said. Esme looked at me and smiled. "You must Edward."

"You can't just _not_ go to school," Jasper told me quietly.

"Yes I can."

"Edward, please, just attend. We don't want anyone looking too closely at our family," Alice argued.

"I... I can't. I haven't since... I just can't. I'll leave. You don't have to worry about me. I'll be fine"

"Edward... please, stay with us, your family. We haven't been one in too many years," Esme whispered.

"You'll get to see your co..." Rosalie abruptly stopped when Emmet elbowed her, "I mean... you'll get to visit Bella whenever you want."

I looked at her, shook my head and smiled. "All right. I'll stay... and I'll go to school."

"Thank you, Edward." Carlisle nodded.

I nodded back and finally left the living room leaving my family behind to talk about the details. I did not care...

_"Congratulations, Bella!!" _

_Bella's banner read. She blush scarlet red as she read it. Emmet held it up in the audience as she walked across the stage to get her diploma. Even though my name had been called a while ago; I waited for her as she walked down the stairs. I chuckled when at the last step she tripped and fell into my waiting arms. Her cheeks became a deep red. I felt a tug in my heart as I realized that I wouldn't see that blush after tonight. I was planning to turn Bella into one of us… into one of the soulless. _

_Not only would I miss her blush but all the humanity that my Bella would lose. The one thing that I would regret the most would be her losing her soul. I believed that Bella's soul would die with her humanity tonight. I knew that I was a very selfish person and would turn her to keep her with me forever. My desire to keep her with me would outbalance my fear for her soul. My greatest sin would be and always would be my egocentric wish to keep Bella by my side. But sins could always be remedied before they were committed. _

_"Stop laughing, Edward." Bella narrowed her eyes at me. I tried to compose my face, failed, tried again and gave up. _

_"I love it when you fall… because that way I can always catch you." I kissed her lightly on the lips to distract her and watched as her blush became even more pronounced. _

"_Well, you won't have to after tonight. I don't plan to be a clumsy vampire," she whispered. I stiffened at her obvious desire to become part of the walking-dead. I still had my doubts about her soul but my selfishness made want to ignore those doubts. I brushed my knuckles across her cheeks and pulled her back to her seat in front of the stage. The last name was called and we all threw our caps in the air in celebration. My Bella had graduated for the first time from high school. _

_Bella, Alice, Jasper, and I stepped out of Forks High School to celebrate with my parents, Bella's parents, and even Rosalie and Emmet joined._

That had been the last time I had ever stepped inside a high school. She was to have been there with me through the ages… but she hadn't.


	3. The Bride

Disclaimer: I own me, myself and I… not Twilight or New Moon…

I re-uploaded Chapter 1 & 2 because there were some grammatical errors… and wanted to make it easier to see where the past starts and end… it's where the stars begin and end… and make sure you REVIEW! Even if you hate it :-D

**Chapter 3: The Bride**

Edward's POV

I lay on my floor, listening to the voices around my house. Rosalie and Emmet were in their room, whispering. I blocked them, physically and mentally. I could hear Japer and Alice downstairs arguing softly. I ignored them, too. Carlisle and Esme seemed to have gone hunting together. I couldn't hear them in the house at all. Even though Carlisle was pretty much immune to the scent of blood, he still liked to go to hunting before he began a new job at a hospital.

_Hunting_, I thought, _who the hell cared about that_. I only hunted until the need to drink became unbearable. There was no need for me to be careful anymore. There hadn't been a need in centuries. Without my wanting to memories flooded back of our graduating night, the night that Bella was suppose to have become like me…

_We were all celebrating our graduation from high school at Chief Swan's house. And to my surprise Carlisle and Esme had pretended to eat with Bella's parents. Renee had made one of Bella's favorite plates. I was glad because it would be the last time that she would to be able to eat human food. _

_All the rest of us pretended to be too excited to eat anything, which we were (some more than others), but not for the reasons that Charlie, Renee or Phil believed. They believed that we were all taking a week-long trip to Montreal to celebrate our freedom from high school. We were all actually planning to take Bella to Denali to turn her into a vampire. I still couldn't believe that she would want to turn into a blood-sucking demon to be with me. We were all leaving to Alaska (or Canada to the humans) that night. _

_I made sure that Bella spent most of her time with her family. She wasn't going to be able to see them after we turned her. The control of the bloodlust would have to be gradually instilled into her. I did not know how long it would take her to be able to control herself around humans. I still had no idea what to tell Charlie why she couldn't come back after the supposed week of vacation. Whatever we came up with, I knew it would break his heart. _

_We all laughed a lot that night. Bella had a bittersweet laugh to her. The closer it got to night, the sadder her eyes became. I knew it was because of her family. I wish I could do something to give her both, me and her family. _

_At twilight, I accompanied Bella upstairs to her room to finish packing. I closed the door behind us as she went to her closet to grab a few more things. I leaned on the door as I watched her make her way across the room. She was so beautiful to me, the way she was. Everything about her called me to her. If I had a word to describe Isabella Swan, it would be _brown_. She had told me once that brown was a warm and beautiful color and I completely agreed. That is what she was… _warmth_ and I wanted it with me forever but could I really let her trade in her soul to keep her...? _

_As she tried to close her suitcase, I heard her silently try to suppress a sob. I was instantly at her side. I turned her face so that I could see her. A tear escaped her beautiful eyes and ran down. I knew that this would be hard for her. I followed her tear with my eyes. Without thinking I bent down and licked it from her cheek. My whole body stiffened with desire and I felt surprise run through her; her eyes wide. Suddenly, there was electricity running down my body and jumping to hers. Both beast and man wanted and desired her. I quickly stepped back to put some distance between us. I saw pain flash through her eyes but it quickly disappeared. _

"_Sorry… I did not mean to…" she plainly did not know how to continue._

"_Don't, Bella, don't apologize. You're just so irresistible…" I chuckled. _

"_Oh," she blushed. "Well, even though I know I can't, I really wanted to touch you…" she ended the sentence with a whisper. I felt the electricity return. I took a deep breath to calm myself and quickly realized my mistake. The beast in me rejoiced at her smell and wanted to take her in every way possible but the many, many months of practice helped me suppress that side of me. _

"_I will be able to in a couple of days," she said. I remembered, then, what she was supposed to become. I hated that she would spend the eternity with me as a monster but she wouldn't…!! _

"_Bella… about that…" _

"_What about it? You haven't changed your mind, have you? You agreed that Carlisle could change me after graduation. You agreed!" her voice became panicked. _

"_Yes, I know! I just want to…" I paused wondering how to ask what I wanted to ask next. "Are you sure that this is what you want, Bella? You want Carlisle to change you?"_

"_Yes, Edward, it is… as long as _you_ are with _me_." Frustration swept through me when she didn't answer my second question. "But…" she stopped. _

"_You don't have to!" I said taking advantage of her hesitation. Maybe I could convince her not to change, but what she said next took that slim hope away. _

"_Yes, I do!" she forcibly said. _

"_All right, Carlisle will do it," I sighed. _

"_Will you not do it?" she looked at me shyly. _

"_Will you marry me?" I asked her instead, finally asking what I had wanted to ask her. Bella glanced away. I waited but she said nothing. I had planned to do it myself, if and only if she had... "Forget it," I sighed, "We'll go to my house tonight and Carlisle will do it then." _

"_No," she seemed to choke out. _

"_What?" was I relieved or disappointed? "Will you stay human then?"_

"_No, that's not what I meant. I meant that no, I don't want Carlisle to do it…"_

_I waited for her to say more, to make sure that my thoughts weren't just running ahead of me. I didn't even know _what _I wanted. Did I want her human or vampire? My emotions went back and forth on that subject but there was one thing I knew that I would always want and that was Bella. _

"_Edward, yes, I will marry you." I couldn't believe she had said _yes.

"_Really?"_

"_Yes." A huge grin spread across my face at her one word. _

"_No, Bella. Really, really?" I wanted to make sure. _

_She laughed, "Yes, Edward, really, really. I will marry you!" _

_I laughed with joy, picking her up and spinning her with me. "We'll get married right now!" _

"_What?! Are you crazy?" she laughed out loud. _

"_Yes. I think I just might be… Bella, will you do me the honor becoming my wife?" I asked her seriously pulling out a small box, getting on my knees and showing her the engagement ring I had bought her the day after the first time I had asked her._

"_Yes. Yes!" she threw herself in my arms, tears falling down her cheeks. I pulled her closer to me and put the symbol of my love on her finger. _

"_So? We can get married tonight?" She laughed with joy but shook her head. _

"_Actually, I want…" she hesitated. _

"_What Bella? What do you want? I'll give you everything and anything you want."_

"_I want the whole thing Edward. The whole white dress, flower girl, ring bearer, maid of honor, best man, everything, everything!! I want it!"_

"_Ok."_

"_Really?"_

"_Yes." _

"_I want my parents there…" she said. _

"_Yes, of course. Anything you want, Bella."_

"_Do you mind if we get married in a month?" I looked at her. She would look so beautiful. "Just so we can have everything ready, you know, because I don't know if we can have all the flowers, my dress, invitations, and everything ready in less than a month," she took a breath to continue but I stopped her with my fingers on her beautiful, soft lips. _

_I smiled. "How many times do I have to tell you? If you want a month then I will give you month." Her mouth was so tempting. _

"_You don't mind?"_

"_No. I waited for you for more than 100 years. I think I can wait a month… barely." I traced her lips with my fingers. She smiled brightly up at me. "Be still," I whispered before I swept down and stole a long lingering kiss. _

"_Then we can be together like we are meant to be…" she said against my lips. _

"_Yes, Bella, together like we are meant to be." _

We had gone down stairs to announce our engagement. Alice had known all along, of course, and was the reason she had been overly excited. Bella's parents had not taken the news well at first, especially Renee but they had accepted it. We never did go to Denali that night. I had convinced Bella to wait until our wedding night to change her. She hadn't liked it much but had agreed. I had told her that Renee would want to plan the wedding with her, and she couldn't do that if Bella were a vampire.

I thought about my decision not to change her that night as I stared at the ceiling. If I had, then she wouldn't have done the many things she did to make her wedding perfect. But if I had, then it would have saved her life.

**Do you want to know what happened?! Why Bella died?! How is she "supposed" to come back?!! Did she really die??! THEN Please review!!!**


	4. The Singer's Blood

Disclaimer: sigh I do not own Twilight or New Moon… just my schemes…

As you could tell… the stars didn't work… shrug

"A Thousand Pains" will be all written in Edward's POV unless said otherwise…

THANK YOU FOR THE WONDERFUL REVIEWS! HAPPY READING!

**Chapter 4: The Singer's Blood **

I walked downstairs to meet my siblings to go to school the next morning. I tried to act in better spirits but it took a lot of energy. Jasper was the only one who really knew how hard it was for me to act nonchalant.

"You ready for school, Edward," Alice smiled brightly. _It will get better_, she thought to me. I, seriously, doubted it but gave her a small smile. I was trying wasn't I?

"We are all riding with you," Emmet hit me on the shoulder. I looked around at my brothers and sisters. They stood around looking innocent except Rosalie—she wore a sarcastic smile on her. They had all decided before I had come down that they would drive with me. I could hear their thoughts about me loving to drive in the forefront of their minds but the real reason would peak out. They did not want me to skip school or worse skip town. They had good reason to worry. I had done it a few centuries ago.

"Let's go." I sighed. We all piled into our car. Alice sat with me in the front while Jasper sat in the back with Rosalie and Emmet in the middle. My car was a ten times more faster than the Volvo I used to own when I had met Bella. A thousand years later, and not much had changed since then. Technology was faster. New ways of doing the same things appeared everyday. Technology had taken a leap but not much… everything was just better and quicker… more impersonal. People still kill, hate, cry, love, and smile. People just do it all faster.

I know that I'm not driving as fast as I usually do but I just didn't want to get there, but I did. All that we don't want usually happens. I parked the car and sat staring at Forks High School.

"Well, I have to get our schedules. I don't really want to wait until you grow _some_ to get out." Rosalie left. Jasper sighed, got out, and followed Rosalie to school. He couldn't take more of my emotional misbalance.

"For Carlisle and Esme's sakes." Alice whispered next to me.

"Or I can just drag you in there," Mr. Muscles-Emmet grinned at me from my rear-view mirror.

I finally conceded by opening my door. Alice and Emmet got out of the car. I slowly followed out. For the first time in many centuries I realized that I was stepping in the one place where my life had changed so long ago. I looked around the place. Alice was right. It hadn't changed a lot since we had all graduated with Bella. The building still looked the same. It was upgraded years ago but the foundation was the same. Forks was such a small town that technology had not completely taken over it like a plague. I liked small towns because they weren't as connected with the technology-world as much as other big cities were. The parking lot was a bit bigger with gates surrounding it. People seemed to be walking fast to get into the building and for the first time I realized that it was sprinkling. I looked up at the dark clouds above.

Suddenly I heard Alice gasp on the other side of the car. I quickly glanced her way and saw what she saw. It was me. I had black eyes and… was attacking someone...!

"Wh--?" I began but never finished. At that very instant, a human passed right in front of me; the wind shifted blowing the human's scent my way. I completely lost it. My vision hazed and all I could see was red. I knew nothing but the thirst. It was blinding. The scent called out to me and nothing else mattered but to drink it. I attacked it. Suddenly, something was in front of me. It was between me and my prey!!

_No!_ My mind screamed. _Must drink! Must kill!! I will _kill_ to have it!_ I tried to shove away the thing that stopped me from what was rightfully _my_ prey!!

I, suddenly, couldn't breathe and vaguely wondered why. But I just kept looking at my prey and the human looked scared. I felt a thrill go through me… yes, my mind laughed, be very scared… I waited for it to run. I wanted it to run. I wanted to hunt it and kill it…

A disturbing noise broke through my haze and I realized that it was my name being called. Without the distraction of the human's scent I could vaguely think better.

"Edward! Please, think of our family! Edward, please!" I looked at the voice saying all of this and remembered her name. Alice.

Carlisle, I thought, the one who gave me a family. Carlisle. I blinked and felt guilt sweep through me as I realized what I had just done. I had been about to kill a human right in front of the school. I glanced down at said human. She seemed to be picking up books that had fallen everywhere. She looked apologetic and a little scared. Her apologetic expression completely threw me off.

"I- I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into y- you." She stammered out. Why was she apologizing? I was the one who had attacked her! If it hadn't been for Emmet, I would have…

_She was looking behind her when you… she wasn't paying _attention_ to where she was going, _Alice thought to me. _Emmet stopped you before you could do anything else…_ _She fell down when she ran into Emmet's back. She didn't see you, Edward. _

I felt off center. She hadn't seen me. This girl hadn't _seen_ me. I wasn't breathing. I couldn't. I knew that it would drive me insane again if I did. Just remembering the smell made hunger pool in my stomach. I had not felt anything close to this since the first time I had smelled Bella. I felt guilt rush through me at her name. I felt like I had just committed the worst crime in the world, as if, I had cheated on her. Why this human girl? Why now?

"Don't worry about it." Alice cheerfully told the girl. I did not stay to hear the rest. I had to leave. _Now._ I turned around, got in my car, and drove as fast I could, away from the human girl. The one who had made me betray Bella's memory.

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	5. The Infamous Vision

Disclaimer: Je ne possède pas Twilight ou New Moon… I say once more…

I think a great song that could go with this chapter is "Hear Me" by Kelly Clarkson…

Merci beaucoup par des revues merveilleuses!

**Chapter 5: The Infamous Vision **

I sat in our meadow looking at Bella across the way. I sat as still as the trees around me. When I had left the school I had gone directly to hunt. I had not hunted in a very long time. "That's why I couldn't control myself", I said out loud, but the guilt was still there. The human girl's smell should not have affected me that way. I leaned against the tree thinking absolutely nothing…

I heard a twig break on my left. I did not bother to turn. I knew who it was. No one else but Alice would know exactly where I would be. Not that the others couldn't have guessed. She came to stand next to me and followed my gaze to Bella's grave. She slid down a tree to sit.

"I'm sorry." She sighed. I said nothing. I didn't want to think. Thinking about nothing was better.

"Edward, I should have looked before going to school. I should have been able to warn you." She whispered.

"Did warning help us last time?" I growled. I felt her flinch in her mind. "I should not have said that, Alice. It wasn't your fault. We rely too much on your visions. We put too much pressure on you."

"But I see the future so I should know!"

"You saw it at the same time I saw it Alice. It all happened too fast."

"I should have tried to look sooner… it's my responsibility."

"I see them when you see them, Alice. It was my fault. It was my fault."

"I should have…" _I don't know, Edward, _she half-said, half-thought to me.

"I should have been able to protect her, Alice." I felt her flinch again as she realized we had diverged into talking about two different things. I was still in the past… I wanted to think of nothing yet the past was still my present… "I left her, Alice. I left her again."

"She wanted it that way. She wanted to protect all of us. That second time was to distract that scum!" she growled. I felt anger at the red-headed scum of a vampire that flashed across Alice's memory.

"It didn't work, did it? I should have been able to _protect_ her, Alice," I repeated once again snapping at her. She ignored my outburst.

"I was so sure we could change the future… that we could make what I had always seen come true rather than…" The infamous vision flashed through Alice's mind but even if it hadn't, I knew exactly how it had looked so long ago. The vision that we all had tried so hard to make _not true. _

"_Edward, what's wrong?" I turned toward the voice that called me to her. The sound of her voice made something in me instantly respond to her. "What is it?"_

"_Alice." I watched as her eyes grew wide with fear._

"_What is it? What did she see?" I looked down at her as she clutched my arm. _

"_I don't know, Bella. She's coming over," we stood together in Charlie's kitchen. "She told me to not leave you alone."_

"_Does it have to do with me?" _

I hope not_, I thought. I would protect Bella with my life_.

"_Come let's watch your movie." I pulled her out of the kitchen into the living room. Charlie had gone out fishing with Billy for the weekend. Renee and Phil were supposed to come by later that night. They had been staying at a small inn in Forks since Bella had announced our marriage. Marriage. Marriage to Bella. It made me smile to even think about it. _

_Bella worried some more wanting to know what Alice had told me as we walked back to her couch. It actually had not been anything but "I had a vision. I'm coming. Stay with Bella, no matter what." I pulled Bella to sit on my lap and kissed her neck. I knew that that would completely distract her. I heard her sigh. It worked every time… both ways. I could easily get lost in her. We sat awhile watching Romeo and Juliet, which we had been watching before Alice had called. _

_Not even 10 minutes later, there was a knock on the door. I knew instantly it was her. Her mind was in complete chaos. I became alert and defensive. No one was going to hurt my Bella. I got up carrying Bella in my arms and let her open the door. Bella was quiet… I knew that she had felt my stillness. Alice came rushing in and closed the door behind her. She seemed paranoid._

"_Alice." She looked at me and her vision overwhelmed me... _

**_Bella was gasping for breath. She was on the floor. I was running to her. She was wearing a bright red dress and a pool of blood surrounded her. She closed her eyes._**

_The vision was abrupt and left me floating in desperation. No! That couldn't happen. Not Bella. I hugged her tightly to me. No! _

"_What? What is it?" Bella whispered. "Tell me!" Alice glanced at Bella sadly. "Edward! Tell me!"_

"_Bella, Alice had a vision." I stopped. _

"_I figured as much! What was the vision about?" I looked down at her in my arms, closed my eyes and tried to wash away the vision of Bella's death. I heard Bella make a frustrated noise and say "Alice, tell me!" _

Should I?_ She thought to me. I gave half a nod and opened my eyes to look at Alice. _

"_I saw you… dead, Bella" she said. "But we won't let it happen!" she brightly added. I looked down at Bella's pale face and her warm eyes filled with even greater fear. _

_  
"What?" she whispered. _

"_It won't happen! I won't let it!" I told her decisively. _

"_We won't!" Alice grinned. I glanced at Alice's mind with mine and saw the vision that was always there… the one where Bella was like us… a vampire. That vision was still set in stone—the only vision that was sure. I felt relief sweep through me. Somehow the vision of Bella's death meant nothing… it was just one of many. I was going to make sure that it would never come true. _

_Bella took a deep breath and let it out saying, "Who… Who kills me?" _

"_I don't know. It might be the Volturi… or… I don't know whose decision it was." Alice shook her head. The phone rang making Bella jump in my arms. I let her down to answer it. _

"_Hello?" It was Jacob Black._

"_Jake!" she smiled into the phone. "How are you?" _

"_Look, Bella, I called you because I wanted to let you know what we saw today." I heard the werewolf tell her. I growled. He couldn't even pretend to be nice for Bella's sake. _

"_I'm good, too. Thanks for asking." She said sarcastically glaring at the phone. _

"_I'm sorry, Bells. This is important. I saw a group of vampires moving your way. I wanted to warn you. There is a short black-haired one with them. I don't know who else… that's all we saw. I'm sorry we couldn't see anymore. They haven't done anything bad so we can't attack but…" _

Jane_, I thought. It must have been Jane they saw. _

"_I just wanted to warn you Bells." Jake hung up. Bella stared at the phone for a second then put it back in its cradle. "The Volturi are here…" she whispered. _

"_What are going to do?" Alice asked. _

"_I will have to draw them away from here somehow." I thought out loud. Bella looked at me with eyes wide with fear. Not fear for herself but for me. She was so strange to me sometimes and completely unbelievable. She never cared for her safety but only for others. She needed the most care. She was so fragile, so human… I couldn't leave her. Not again. _

"_You're leaving," Alice told me. Complete terror filled Bella's eyes. I smiled a little at her reaction. Monsters trying to kill her didn't scare her as much as my leaving. She didn't need to worry. I wasn't planning to leave Bella. I would stay with her here, protect her here. _

"_No. I am not," I had decided. _

"_Then we will all die," Alice whispered. I turned to her. I had been ignoring her mind, paying attention to only Bella. She was right. If I didn't leave then all I loved would die with me. Alice could only see the deaths but not who did the killings. _

"_Then, you must go." Bella whispered surprising me. "You must lead them away from here."_

"_You will be able to fool them in believing that Bella is with you, Edward." Alice said. _

"_Please, be safe." Bella eyes overflowed with tears. "You have to come back to me. You did promise to marry me, remember?" I looked at my future wife, shook my head and wiped her tears away. _

"_You must go, Edward." Bella whispered. _

"_I don't want to. I can't leave you Bella. I promised I wouldn't." I hugged her tightly to me. She sadly smiled up at me and shrugged._

"_I remember… but I liberate you from that promise. You must leave! The Volturi are after me and they know that where you go; I am… so we must separate. For your family's sake and mine." _

"_Oh, but..."my voice breaking along with my heart. _

"_Good-bye, Edward, until we meet again." She whispered in my ear. I raised her lips to mine and gave her all of me in that one-last kiss. _

"That vision was my fault" Alice said staring at the night sky. It had become night as she sat with me remembering the past. I did not remember it… I lived it everyday. "I saw it wrong."

"I saw it, too." I reminded her.

"We both saw it wrong…."

"And it cost me my heart," I said quietly looking down at my empty chest. We stayed silent for a while. We both thought of Bella. She seemed to be remembering one with her and Bella in class. I felt selfish that I couldn't remember that Bella and Alice had had a class together. I slowly came back to the present and broke the silence. "Tell me, Alice. Who was that human girl? How does she look like?"

I looked at her mind and saw that she was still thinking of Bella. It wasn't easy to stop thinking of her, I knew. "Please, Alice, just show me how she looks like… I want to be able to apologize to her next time I see her."

"You're still staying?" she said with hope in her voice.

"I can't leave, not after I promised Carlisle and Esme that I would stay. Show me, Alice," she looked at me. _I have been_, she thought. I gasped quietly as I realized that I had been mistaken. She hadn't been thinking of Bella this whole time… but of that human girl. She looked exactly like Isabella Swan.

**Please review!!! Revue!!!**


	6. The Descendant

Disclaimer: I own "rien"… except my AWESOME ideas:-D

**Chapter 6: The Descendant **

After the initial shock of seeing the human for the first time, I realized that she didn't exactly look like Bella. The human had a mole high on her right cheek and another below her lips on the left but otherwise she looked like my lost love. The resemblance staggered me completely.

"How?" I could barely speak.

"She might be a descendant of hers." She nodded towards Bella's grave. "Maybe that's why you were so attracted to her blood."

"But how? Bella was the last Swan."

"I don't know… maybe Renee had more kids with Phil…"

"That seems unlikely." I talked normally, but inside of me there was a great turmoil. She _looks_ like her. She looks _like_ her. She looks like _Bella_.

"She does look like her." Alice said my thought out loud.

"What did she say?"

I listened as Alice replayed the conversation in her mind…

_Alice stood staring after me as I peeled away in my car. She noticed that Emmet stood very still and amazed. She wondered why as she turned her smile to the human girl. The smiled slipped off her face. She now understood Emmet's reaction. The human girl had long brown hair and beautiful brown eyes… just like Bella. Before she could speak the human girl rambled out an apology. Disbelief swam all through Alice's mind. _

"_I'm so sorry. Did I make him mad? I honestly did not see you guys. I was looking back to make sure that I had not left anything in my car… I wasn't looking. It was not intentional. I sometimes don't look where I'm going, you know, and I get in trouble because of it but I just don't pay attention…" she took a breather. _

"_Stop." Alice smiled still trying to get over the shock. "Don't worry about Edward. He hates school. He was planning to skip anyways." _

"_Oh. That's his name? I didn't really see him. I should apologize to him… I didn't mean to make him so mad." She blushed just as Bella had done so often. _

"_No. Don't worry about it. What is your name?" Could she be _Isabella

"_Asheni Bells, but everyone calls me Ash. Yours?" She said taking all possibility away. _

"_Asheni is beautiful! I'm Alice Cullen. This here is Emmet. He's my brother and so is Edward." Emmet nodded and grinned at her. Ash answered with a smile. _

"_Cullen?" She seemed curious. _

"_Yes…" Alice said cautiously. Was it possible that she knew them?_

"_You are all the Cullens and the Hales?" _

"_Yes." Emmet answered. "We are the Cullens. The Hales just went inside to get our schedules." _

"_Oh. You are Dr. Carlisle Cullen's family, the one he adopted? I don't mean to be rude but everyone in town already knows…" _

"_We figured." Alice shrugged. Ash shyly smiled at them and taking a step back said, "Well, it was nice meeting you guys. I guess I'll see you see around." _

"_I'm sure you will." Alice nodded. Asheni glanced at Alice curiously, turned and walked away. _

"_Goodbye, Bella." Emmet called out. _

"_It's Bells!" She chuckled and glanced back at Emmet._

"Alice, this girl…" I shook my head ignoring the sound of her laugh. It sounded to close to Bella's laugh.

"I know it's unbelievable… You are going to have to take pre-cautions."

"Yes." _Precautions, _I thought, _just like I used to when my Bella was around._

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I spent the night at the meadow thinking about the _Bells_ after Alice had leftThis new girl seemed to be a descendant of the Swans. I did not want to see her. It was one thing to see her in Alice's mind and another to see her with my own eyes. Why should I torture myself with the reminder of my lost heart? It was too painful to visit Bella's grave but to see another who looked like her….? That would be disastrous to my tenuous existence.

_I should leave! I don't want another reminder,_ I told myself, _but… I promised my family that I wouldn't. _

I tried to picture Bella in my mind but her face was blurry. The face of the human girl appeared strongly in mind overshadowing Bella's face. What if the human girl's face can help me _not_ forget Bella? If I saw the girl everyday then I could remember Bella. I would know that she did not have those extra marks on her face… I could remember her _better_.

I could, also, protect this girl so that I could keep Bella's memory alive…

I decided I would go to school.

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I came into my English class paranoid. What if she was in this class?? The day was half-way over and I had not seen her. Throughout the whole day, I would come into a class expecting her to be in it and every time she wasn't. I sighed as I looked around looking for the human and did not see her. I walked to the back where I had spotted an empty seat. _The last class before lunch_, I thought. _I can easily avoid her during lunch if I want. _ _After lunch, I can begin the paranoia again. _

I began to relax when her smell reached my nose. I had relaxed too soon. She was here. She was in the room. I had hoped that I wouldn't have to see her in class everyday. _That_ hope was out the window. I had hunted the night before, so her smell was not as overwhelming as it had been before. The centuries of denying my hunger kept me in control… sort of. I closed my eyes and swallowed—more nervous than hungry. She was supposed to like Bella according to Alice's thoughts.

I did not want to _see_ her. I felt anger sweep through me. She _shouldn't _look like my love. _She _shouldn't! _No one _should!! _Only Bella!!_ My vow to protect this human girl vanished. I did not want to protect her. I blamed her for looking like my soulmate. I blamed her and hated her for it.

I smelled her coming closer to me. I did not bother to open my eyes. I refused to see her lying face. A _liar_ because her face did not belong to her!

"Hi. I'm… Ash. Are you OK?" I did not respond. I felt her eyes study my face.

"You look familiar… I have seen you somewhere before… Do I know you?" she whispered.

**I hoped that you enjoyed reading! Asheni is pronounced ah-sheh-nee**… **it is a Cree name meaning "angel." **

**Please review! **


	7. The Torment

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from Meyer's imagination… but I do own the ones I imagine… :-D

**THIS STORY IS DEDICATED TO MY BABY SISTER: **

**MAGEIDA!! I LOVE YOU!!!**

**Chapter 7: The Torment**

The sound of her voice left me breathless. It made something inside of me want to respond to her. But I refused to. I refused for her to make me a liar, as well. I would not let anything in myself respond to her.

"I know who you are. You're Edward Cullen, aren't you?" she asked. I made no movement. The smell of her made me _want_… I couldn't decide whether the man or monster in me wanted her… just like with…

_No! _I screamed inside. _No, nothing like Bella… no one could be like Bella. _ I wanted to take a deep breath to calm myself out of habit yet I knew that her smell would be false and make me think things that should never be. I needed to prepare myself to see her, so I pretended that I wasn't listening to her treacherous- yet so familiar-voice.

"Hey… are you asleep?" she sound amused. I felt her shift and I realized she was going to touch me. I snapped my eyes open and glared at her. But once my eyes fell upon her, I lost some of my glare and my senses went into complete overload. I knew that she looked like _her _yet the shock penetrated me to the bones. The astonishment shuddered throughout my body. I grimaced inside and looked daggers at her. She froze mid-motion; her hand stretched out toward me. Heat pooled in her cheeks and I felt an emotion close to complete hatred quickly fill my vision. How there this mere human-girl reflect Isabella Cullen?

As I glared she quickly brought her hand down. I saw that she had long brown hair flowing down her back, and knew that she would have beautiful warm brown eyes. I did not want to look closely. I looked away; tormented by the familiarity of her face. This girl would never be allowed to touch me. Never.

"I- I guess you are," she blinked. "I'm… I'm sorry. I didn't mean to run into- into you, yesterday. Sorry," she rushed out. I said nothing. I swallowed hard when I glanced back at her. She had blushed even more when she realized I wouldn't answer her.

Suddenly, I felt guilt come at the heels of my hatred. _I almost killed you, _I thought. _I should be apologizing to you… but I hate you for looking like my Bella. _ That loathing would always cloud my judgment against her. I knew she saw the anger in my eyes and that she did not know the why of it.

I stared at the blush on her cheeks and roughly nodded. Her shoulders visibly relaxed as she took in my nod. I turned my back to her; I wanted to let her know that it was _not _OK for her to talk to me. She stood there for a heart beat, and then stumbled to an empty seat across the room from me. Did she _have _to be a klutz, too?

The English professor came and began the class. I was starting the year 2 weeks into it and Mr. Ross went over the grading system for my benefit. I vaguely heard him…. The day passed by without my having to see her in another class. I was relieved. It would be hard enough to have her in one class.

I went through the motions of listening, answering when called upon, and turning homework in as the weeks passed by. I was glad that she had taken my hint for she had not spoken a word to me since that first day, the day another one of my torments began. I still felt guilty, yet I had done the right thing. I could protect her- and my heart- by keeping her away.

Yet every day, every week it was torture to have the reflection of my Bella walk through the door. Every blush, every trip and stumble, every word out her mouth was a torment. My only reprieve was on sunny days. I loved the sun on those days. I detested her, yet sometimes I couldn't help but stare at her beauty… at the beauty that my Bella had once been many thousand years ago.

After three weeks of torture, I sat in my usual chair in the back. I pretended I was reading the story of "A Farewell to Arms". Then I remembered the ending just as the human's smell reached my nose. For a second, pain filled my world, but I shook it off. I hated the ending of that story, as I hated the ending of mine. My story had ending when my love had died, as well.

I glanced at the human without thinking about it. The wound I had felt only seconds before made by heart bleed anew. I felt I was seeing an apparition. The human girl was wearing a red dress… just like Bella had worn in Alice's infamous vision… the vision that tormented me more than seeing the human everyday… The day Bella wore that dress flooded my memories…

**I do recommend to everyone to read "A Farewell to Arms" by Ernest Hemingway… It's very good!! I, actually, just put the first story that came to my mind for Edward to be reading and to my surprise it fit perfectly:-D **

**Do review... PLEASE!!! **


	8. The Loved & Hated Past

Disclaimer: I disclaim any imaginable rights on my part of owning Bella & Edward… o well.

**Question**: "…in the part where Ash introduces herself to Alice and Emmett, Emmett calls her Bella, and she says," It's Bells!" Why?"

**Answer**: Emmet was being his dummy, playful vampire-self. Asheni thought that he just got her last name wrong… her last name is "Bells." :-D

**Reminder: **THE WHOLE STORY IS IN EDWARD'S POV. If A LOT of the part is in _italics_ then it's probably the past:-D

Yes. So I know that I said some "everyone" question would be answered in this chapter but it wasn't… not really… it's in the next chapter… maybe… I hope :-D

**Chapter 8: The Loved & Hated Past**

I could only see the red dress as the human walked to her seat. I felt the greatest urge to get up and rip it off her. I hated the fact that she was wearing it. I wanted to get up and hold her in my arms and protect her like I wish I could have done with Bella. I sat in my desk in English class seeing only that hateful red dress. My body was here but my mind was there… in the past where I loved and hated being. In my past, where she was _alive_ yet where she had _died_.

_"Alice." I answered my cell phone. _

_"Where are you?" she asked. I looked around. The city of Volterra was at my back and the forest in front of me. "I'm going hunting, Alice. I need to; I haven't for almost three weeks now. I haven't seen them anywhere around me or heard anything about us recently. Maybe this wasn't such a good idea…" _

_"I don't know what to say…"_

_"Have you had more visions?"_

_"I know that _we_ are safe, Edward. I don't see our deaths anymore but..."she stopped._

_"Alice, just tell me."_

_"I still see Bella's death, Edward. I still see it. I don't know why you leaving changed the outcome of our deaths but it did… but it didn't change my vision of Bella. And you have to come back now, Edward. I don't know if there's much I can do to keep Bella sane anymore."_

_"I have to keep her safe," it was the only thing that mattered to me. _

_"At least talk to her then."_

_"What if that makes everything change? What if I somehow make it worse for her? What if that makes it so that all of you die again?"_

_"What if?! What if?! I hate "what if." _

_"I know," I sighed. "What will happen if I go back, Alice?" _

_"It's still the same, Edward. You stay there or you come back… it's still the same. Maybe you can keep her safer if you are here." _

_"Maybe?" I asked incredulously. _

_"I don't know everything! I try but I don't!" she yelled back. _

_"I'm sorry, Alice. This is just hard for me. Look, I will go back. Don't tell anyone yet, though, especially Bella. I want to sneak around and make sure that no one is following or stalking her." _

_"Will you call her at least? Please, Edward, call her. She's… Please call her." I closed my eyes, thinking of my beautiful angel. How I wished that I could see her. _

_"I will call you later. Bye Alice." I hung up before she could reply. I was angry that no matter what we tried doing, that hateful vision was still present!! I ran inside the forest looking for anything that could sate my anger and hunger. The vampires that the werewolf had seen in the forest had been the Volturri. Jane, Aro, Caius, Felix and another guard had all come to make sure that Bella had been transformed into a vampire. They went to visit Carlisle the night that Alice had had her vision. _

_I had not been present when they had come. By then we had made it seem as if Bella and I had left Forks. Alice had seen that even if I tried to turn Bella that night, her vision of Bella in the red dress wouldn't come true but everyone else's and Bella's death—as a vampire—still would. I could not understand why. It was the only thing that we could think of at the last minute, for me to leave. It was the only decision that hadn't brought _all _of our deaths. Bella had said that she would never forgive me if I didn't leave and protect her parents and my family. She did not care about her safety. I would stay away as long as I thought it was safer for Bella. _

_I left town to Volterra that night while Bella had convinced her mother with Alice's help that she needed to go to Phoenix that same night to look for her wedding dress. I was never sure how exactly they got Phil and Renee to drive that night to get to Phoenix. Girls will be girls, I guessed, when it came to weddings. I was sure that Phil had just been dragged along. They had told Renee and Charlie that since Bella was going to Phoenix, I had decided to check out the place where we were going to live. I wondered how they had taken the news that Bella and I weren't staying in Forks for long after the wedding. Not very good, I guessed. Charlie had not liked the idea. _

_Alice had heard from upstairs in Bella's room when Charlie had told Renee that he was scared that I would back out and leave Bella again. If I had done it once, what guarantee did he have that I wouldn't do it again? He had told Renee that he was sure that this time; Bella wouldn't be able to overcome it. He wouldn't know what to do with her if it happened again. When Alice had told me this, I knew that she had done so as a warning for me to come back for Bella. There had no need for the warning. I was planning to go back to her. I was, actually, going back very soon._

_I had been at Volterra for three weeks and I had not heard anything that might mean that they were planning to go back to Forks anytime soon. The Volturri and their guard had only been at Forks for two days. They had not wanted to stay longer. Aro had not wanted to ruin what Carlisle had created in Forks; a home. He would have if _I_ had broken what they had created in Volterra. I was glad that I hadn't. He respected Carlisle for accomplishing his "crazy vegetarian diet." _

_They had been in Volterra ever since. I had made sure that no one in the Volturri knew I was there. I had blended in with all the human tourists. I had done so for so long that the Volturri, who never bothered to, easily missed me. Felix had wanted to return for a while just to make sure. He had hated the fact that we had escaped without any harm done to us by him. But he soon forgot about us, as most vampires tend to do about trivial things. I was glad that he wasn't obsessed with us. He hated us but (I was glad) the hatred had not been overwhelming. Ever since Felix's last thoughts a few days ago I had not heard anything else pertaining to us. I wanted to go home to Bella. _

_-------------------------------------------------------------------_

_The next day I returned to Forks without telling anyone. The first thing that I did once I got there was to go to Charlie's. I wanted to see her, at least from a distance. I had caught the evening flight and made it to Charlie's house at night. I looked inside from the top of a tree in her backyard. I smiled crookedly as I saw my angel and love at the dinner table with Charlie. She was picking her food. _

She's acting just like when he left the first time_, I heard Charlie think. _I will kill him if he doesn't return soon. I don't think he has even _bothered_ to call her!!

_He tried to get her to talk about anything… the wedding… she answered with one word syllables and quietly answered and shrugged when asked about the wedding. Guilt swept through me that I hadn't even phoned her. I had just wanted to make sure that the Volturri didn't accidentally hear me talking to Bella, especially if I was suppose to be with her already. I stared at both their sad faces; Bella for me and Charlie for her. Suddenly, I couldn't take it anymore. I hated seeing her heartbroken face, so impulsively I called her. I saw her run up to get the phone. Charlie just looked after her. _

"_Hello?" she answered hopefully. I felt love blossom at the sound of her voice talking _to me_ and not from a distant. _

"_I'm sorry." I blurted without thinking. I saw her eyes widened and a full fledge grin started to spread across her face but then stopped midway as she realized what I had said. I realized I had said the wrong thing. _

"_What?" she whispered._

"_For not calling, Bella. I'm sorry for not calling you sooner."_

"_Uh huh." She pressed her lips together waiting. I knew that she wasn't breathing. I laughed softly. _

_"I'm coming back for you, Bella," I made sure that she knew. She stilled didn't seem to know how I just couldn't live without her for very long. The three weeks without her had been very painful. The grin spread fully this time across her beautiful face. I smiled as I saw it. I had missed her so much._

_"I've missed you." _

_"Me, too, Edward, me, too," she sighed. I vaguely saw Charlie smile slightly, put his plate in the sink and leave. "Where are you?"_

_"I'm coming to you soon, Bella. Now, tell me what you have done lately." She grinned and began to tell me the details of all the torture Alice, Renee, Esme and even Rosalie had submitted her to for the wedding. She smiled the whole time she told me the plans for our wedding. _

I remembered that night. She had looked full of life and hope for our future as I had sat looking and listening to her talk from the tree in her backyard. I should have been paying attention to my surroundings but I hadn't. My plan had been to make sure no one was around and to keep her safe. Her presence had overwhelmed me that night; to have her so near and hear her voice had made me forget why I had been hiding in the tree in the first place. I wished that I had seen it coming but I hadn't.

I had been staring non-stop at the human who reminded me so much of Bella throughout the whole class period. I realized that my staring had not gone unnoticed by her. Her cheeks were beet-red. I forced myself to look away and waited agonizingly for the class to be over. I was out before the teacher could finish dismissing us.

When I reached our table I sat and tried to keep myself from going back to the past. Alice, Jasper, Emmet and Rosalie soon joined me. Alice and Jasper sat next to me and the other two in front of us. They all talked about trivial things that I cared not about. I heard Alice softly gasp when she saw what the girl was wearing when she entered the cafeteria. Jasper followed her stare and glanced my way. Rosalie and Emmet turned to see and then both turned to look at me. I tensed and said nothing. I was very glad that I could completely block everyone around me. It had taken me centuries but I eventually learned how to block everyone's mind. I didn't want their pity or their memories cluttering my already tenuous mind. I had blocked everyone since my first day at school.

Suddenly, for the first time in many weeks, I wondered if she was like Bella in another way, as well. I took a deep breath and she was far enough that her smell only vaguely reached me. I mentally prepared myself and tried to read her thoughts. I slowly opened my mind and reached for her with my mind. An emotion overwhelmed me… one I didn't understand. Disbelief, relief (of all things!), anger, nervousness, hatred, longing and panic, all mixed together. Blank, her mind was _blank_. I couldn't read her mind. I did not know what I was seeing anymore. I could only see the human. The girl whose smell I couldn't resist, the girl who had the face of my lost love, the girl whose mind I couldn't read…

I had not wanted to go back but the past flooded around me and I drowned in it.


	9. The Red Dress

Disclaimer: I own nuh-teeng… nuh-teeng at all that has to do with Twilight or New Moon… except my ideas of what happens to the characters in them!

**Chapter 9: The Red Dress**

_I felt like a stalker as I drove behind Bella. There was no one behind her but me. I followed her 24/7 to make sure no one else followed. I felt frustration as I drove one of the crappiest and slowest cars in the world. I missed my Volvo but I did not want to let Bella know that I was here in Forks. I had been protecting Bella for a week now by "stalking" her. I had seen nothing. The only vampire who would or could be a danger to her was Victoria. There had been nothing at all from either Alice or Bella's werewolf, Jacob Black. It had been quiet. It made me fidgety because Alice's vision of Bella's death in the red dress was still coming true. Bella finally made it home without any harm and parked in her driveway. I saw her get out of her beat-up truck. She was breathtaking even in jeans and a t-shirt. I loved her so much that I finally snapped. I gave up trying to protect her from a distance._

_I parked on the side of her house. She turned around frowning at the unfamiliar car. I smiled as she saw me get out. Her eyes widen with surprise, happiness and love intertwined together. She dropped the groceries she had been carrying and ran to me. Her run was destroyed by her tripping over her own feet. I chuckled as I reached her before she hit the ground. I held her in my arms as if there were no tomorrow. I still wasn't sure if there _was_ one for us. _

I closed my eyes as I remembered her in my arms. Her body pressed tightly to mine, her smell surrounding me, her soft hair pressing into my face and her warmth engulfing me. For a second I felt her there, like a ghost or a memory, in my arms. But she was gone just as suddenly as she had come. I glanced at the human girl who had been sitting on the other side of the cafeteria facing me. I saw her frown in the middle of her conversation with another girl and she blinked rapidly seeming confused. I wondered at her reaction for a second but gave it no more thought. I got up and left the cafeteria. I wanted to wallow in my past by myself.

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I ditched all my classes after lunch. I did not want to be around humans any longer, especially that one particular human. I went to my car deciding whether to leave or just wait for all my other siblings to get out. If I went home, Esme would be there wondering what was wrong with me. I was tired of all the pity going around. Everywhere else would probably have humans around. Maybe I could go visit Bella at the meadow. I had not been able to visit her lately. I didn't know how to be there and know that another human existed who called me to her as Bella had done… and now to make it worse, I couldn't read her mind either. So I sat in my car.

I put in a R.D. which was the equivalent of a C.D. a thousand years ago but twenty times smaller. My Bella's lullaby sang around me. I could listen to it sometimes to remember her but I couldn't bring myself to get close to a piano to play it. It was too painful. I remembered the last time I had played it. I had not played the piano since that last time with her.

_We sat together on my piano bench at my house. Her eyes were closed as she listened to me play. I stared at her, paying no heed to the keys. She was a wondrous sight to behold. She kept her eyes closed as I finished. As the last notes resounded in the room, she opened her brown eyes and smiled at me. _

"_I'm sorry that the month I promised you came and went," I whispered hugging her to me. _

"_I'm just glad you came back to me." I smiled as I heard her breathe in my scent. I loved the fact that we both couldn't resist each other's smell. _

"_I promised, didn't I?" she nodded shyly, her face buried in my neck. "This weekend, Bella. We're finally getting married this weekend."_

"_Yes in two days!!" her brown eyes filled with excitement as she looked up, "And I have everything ready now. Well, at least I was able to get my dress ready in that _little more_ time you gave me."_

"_You look beautiful in it," there was complete wonder in my voice which she seemed not to notice._

"_What?" she gasped. "You've seen me? No, that's bad luck!" I grimaced; maybe I shouldn't have said anything._

"_I only saw you through Alice's mind," I lied. During the time I had "stalked" her last week; I had seen her when she had tried it on. _So magnificent…

"_It's the same thing," her cheeks flushed with anger._

"_No," I tried to soothe her and kissed her cheeks, "It isn't the same thing. Don't worry about it… Now, come I must take you home." _

"_Why?" she frowned._

"_We have dinner with Renee and Phil, remember? It's the reason I came to change… not my fault you got distracted…" I grinned at her. She smiled back and shrugged. _

"_Oh, and it's completely your fault! Mom would have killed me if we forgot. Let's go, then," she jumped off the piano bench seeming to forget the dress-fiasco. "But I'm still mad that you've seen my dress… even through Alice's mind! I'm going to have to talk to her about that!" I was not off the hook it seemed. I followed her out the door as she muttered about stupid-future-seeing-vampires letting stupid-mind-reading-vampires know about her ruined-yet-beautiful-wedding-dress. I laughed at her grumbles. I loved everything about Bella, especially her unbelievable-fearlessness for those stupid-blood-sucking-vampires. _

_I watched her as I let her walk a little ahead of me. Every time I gazed at her, I felt my dead-heart beat and everything in the world felt just… _right. _ I opened the car door for her before she could do it herself. At the same time she glanced up at me and her mutterings became breathless. I heard her heart trip on a beat. I knew that she could see how much I adored her. I slowly bended down and brushed her lips with mine. She stood still with her face flushed with excitement. I playfully nipped her lower lip with my teeth. She took a staggering breath and sighed when I passed my tongue over her lip to soothe the sting. I kissed her one last time and let her get in the car. I smiled at her dazed expression. She wasn't the only one dazed; for a second I couldn't remember where we were planning to go. _

_We reached Bella's house and I waited downstairs as she changed with Charlie. We were supposed to meet Renee and Phil at "Italianos." It was a restaurant that Jessica's parents had opened last year in Forks. Bella had refused at first since I did not eat but I wanted to give Renee one last night-out with us before I took Bella away from her. I would definitely not enjoy the dinner but I could pretend. My stomach would just have to pretend as well. I heard Bella come down the stairs but waited for Charlie to hear her first. When Charlie stopped in the middle of his last fishing-story, I knew that he could see her. I turned around and felt as if someone had punched me and knocked me out. _

_I knew in the back of my mind that she looked wonderful but I couldn't bring myself to believe what she was wearing. Alice's vision came strongly to the front of mind and drowned out everything else. Isabella was wearing the most beautiful yet horrifying _red dress. _She was wearing _the _red dress. The one in which everything could be taken away from me. The dress that was not only red but could be full of blood… my Bella's blood. I hated that red dress. I hated that it could destroy my world. My world… my love. _

_"Do you like it?" she asked me. _

_"You look beautiful." I vaguely heard Charlie say next to me. He went to hug her. He had been worried that Renee would pick out something outrages for Bella to wear but what she was wearing was good. I felt like screaming at Renee. How dare she buy the thing that could take Bella away from them all?! How dare she?! I wanted to yell at Bella to take it off and wear something else but I knew that she wouldn't. Charlie would disagree and Renee definitely would be mad. _

_"Edward?" she asked me worriedly. I smiled and pushed her out the door. _

_"Don't want Renee to be waiting. 'Bye Charlie," I called out as we left. I hurriedly shoved her inside the car and just as fast was inside the car with her. I didn't care whether Charlie could see us or not. I wanted to get this dinner over with and get her out of that dress. I felt laughter bubble up inside of me hysterically. I never thought that I would want to get Bella out of a dress for safety reasons only. _

_"Edward? What's wrong?"_

_"Nothing, Bella," I didn't want her to worry. She would enjoy her last night-out with Renee without any interference from anything. I would make sure of it. She said nothing else. We were at the restaurant in less than 15 minutes. _

_Throughout the dinner I made sure that I ate plenty and was the perfect future son-in-law. Bella seemed to be the only one to notice that something was off with me but she did not broach the subject again. I was so glad when the dinner was finally over 2 hours later and could take her back and make her get out of that damned dress. I would ask for it and burn it to make sure that she never wore it again. _

_We were reaching her house when Bella finally spoke to me again. _

"_Edward, what's wrong? And don't say "nothing" because I know that something is bothering you! What is it?!" she blushed as she confronted me from her side of the car. _

"_I hate that dress!" I told her with hatred in my voice that I could not hide. I saw her eyes widen in surprise. I chuckled. I bet that was definitely not the answer she had expected. _

"_What?" she whispered. "Do I look ugly in it?" _

"_No. You don't. The dress is ugly!"_

"_The dress is gorgeous! If anything is ugly is me in it!" _

"_Don't be absurd, Bella." _

"_Edward," she said waiting for an explanation. _

"_I'll tell you once I get you out of that dress." I told her. She blushed at the innuendo of my statement. I chuckled. "Please, just change out of that dress once we reach your house, OK?" _

"_All right," she said. I quickly got out and reached her side before she could even touch the door-handle. I opened it and wrapped my arms around her waist keeping her close. I looked around trying to hear with both my mind and ears. We reached her door and I gritted my teeth together as she reached inside her purse to get her keys. She was going to slow!! She needed to get out of that ill-fated red dress!! She opened the door and I pushed her inside. I felt their minds too late. _

As I remembered that night I knew that if I hadn't pushed her inside she would have died that instant rather than later. I had, suddenly, been knocked out of Bella's porch into the trees next to her house.

_I only felt the impact when I hit the tree and heard it shatter in half. My mind dazed for a mille-second and that's all it took for them to take her. _

**Uh… yes! That ends this chapter… I DID want to write more but that would mean more waiting around for y'all!! Please make sure to review your hearts out! A BIG "MERCI BEAUCOUP" to all my readers!!! **


	10. Edward's Lament

**Chapter 10: Edward's Lament**

"Edward!" a voice interrupted my reminiscing of that faithful Friday night when Isabella Swan wore that red dress. I looked up to find Alice at my window. "Open the doors." I looked behind her to find the rest of my siblings.

_School must be out_, I thought.

I hadn't even realized that I had sat in my car for more than three hours. I hastily pressed a small button on the side of my steering wheel to open the doors. They all piled inside. I let my mind-guard down for a second to try to read anything from Alice. She was worried about me but I ignored it. I tried to put the guard back up but before I could I heard my brother's and Rosalie's thoughts.

_I wonder if he's been out here the whole time, _Emmet thought.

_Seems like he will never be able to get rid of all the emotions that Bella's memory brings him,_ Jasper sighed. Rosalie was just annoyed that I couldn't get over the past.

I instantly put it up. There was really no need to hear more pity from all of them. I drove all of us home. I walked up the steps and into the house without giving any of my siblings a back-glace. Without thinking my feet led me to a small spare room in the back of the house.

I entered it and there before me lay my piano. I had not laid eyes on it for many centuries. They did not exist anymore. No one cared for grand pianos. Every musical instrument was electrical now-a-days.

I had made my family move it out of the living room into this room the day after Bella had left me forever. I could not bear to have it anywhere near me. I knew Esme above everyone else in my family missed my music.

I stared at it. It was a symbol of my entire world. This instrument had meant so much to me before her and then become the one thing that with it, I could worship her. I stood at the doorway not able to move toward or away from it. I took a breath realizing that this was a very important step. I either moved forward or stayed back.

_Bella_, I thought. I took a step forward.

_I will love you forever._ I took another.

_I will never forget you._ Another step.

_My Bella. _Another.

_I miss you. _Step, Step.

_Come back. _I reached my piano.

I felt the world spin a little as I stood next to the piano bench. Dazed and so deeply tired, I made myself sit. I took ragged breaths as I sat staring at the keys. Suddenly, I felt the greatest urge to jump up and run, run very far, away from it all. I did not want to be here. I did not want to be so close to… letting go. I knew that my thousand pains would gradually start to leave once I played. I had had it with me for so long that I didn't want to give it up. I quenched the desire to flee and slowly put my hands on the keys.

My hands trembled as I played the first note to her lullaby. I took a deep breath and played another note. I let my breath out and started playing her song. My hands tripped in the middle and I stopped. I swallowed and began once again. I do not know how long or how many times I played. I performed the song over and over again to her, to my long-ago-ever-present lost love.

I knew that if I had been human I would have tears running down my cheeks. _I would also be dead, too, _I thought sadly. I slowly stopped playing, the last notes resonating throughout the empty room. Roughly I stood up and began dragging the piano out of the room. It took me a lot of maneuvering around to get it out of the door but I managed. I dragged it all the way to the living room where it belonged.

Once I reached the living room, I found my family sitting together watching TV. They all turned around to see what I was doing. No one volunteered to help me. They seemed to know that only I could do this.

I looked around the living room glancing over my family searching for something. Alice appeared next to me with a cloth on her hand. I grabbed it and began cleaning the piano. I ignored everyone and everything and only concentrated on my chore. I cleaned everything on it. When I finished it was absolutely spotless. I dropped the rag at my feet and looked at my piano.

"Son," a soft voice said behind me. I turned around to find only Carlisle behind me. Everyone else had left some while ago. A small smile played around the corners of my father mouth. "It's time for school… I have to go to the hospital, now. You're done?"

I blinked. School? I had not realized I had spent the whole night with my piano. Carlisle seemed to be waiting for something. Oh, yes, he had asked me a question.

"Yes. I am done. I'll go get ready," I walked out the room feeling… something.

"I'm glad you're finally feeling better," he said. I turned back to him, surprised. I slowly nodded. I did feel better, like I hadn't felt in a thousand years. I walked up the stairs and for the first time looked for what I would wear. I got ready and went back downstairs to find my siblings with mother standing at the door. Esme kissed my cheek in farewell. I smiled and walked with my brothers and sisters to the car.

For the first time in centuries I paid attention to my surroundings. I noticed the red color of the school as we came upon it. I noticed the students piling around lockers talking and laughing. I noticed many things such as the surprising fact that the human girl's locker was just ten or so lockers away. I never had used my locker before. There was no need when everything we did was mostly on computers. Books were all digitalized except for the few teachers who loved to stick to the old ways of paperbacks. I turned my back to her and went from class to class noticing everyone around me. I let my guard down and glanced at the thoughts of the people around me.

I went into the English class glancing around the room. This was the first time that I had looked at my surroundings. I had cold-shouldered everyone at this school and especially in this class.

I saw a girl named Laurell sitting next to an empty seat where the human sat, not that I had ever really noticed. From her thoughts I gathered that she was the human's best friend. She seemed to be half in love with the human's boyfriend. _Wait, _I thought, _the human has a boyfriend?! _I felt something I had not felt since Jacob Black; jealousy. It couldn't be jealousy. I was not jealous. It was only that I felt sort of protective because she reminded me so much of Bella. That was what I told myself over and over. No need to worry. It didn't matter to me. I seemed to withdraw into myself. I sat down and looked around.

The human girl finally made it in. She was smiling at a guy who had his hands on her waist and walking her towards her seat. For an unexplainable second I felt like tearing him up into pieces. My reaction shook me a little. There was no reasonable explanation for it. But I stared at his, Quinn's, hands on her waist. _They don't belong there_, I thought. I glanced at her face and realized she had been looking at me. She flushed and quickly turned away. _Damn it, I should play nice with her_. But I didn't know if I could. I turned away and waited for the teacher to get there. Two seconds later I glanced at the group again. Quinn Jefferson was still there. Was he in this class too? I glanced at his thoughts… No, his class was next door. I hoped he would leave now.

The professor walked in and Quinn left with a quick kiss to the human's lips. I gripped the sides of my desk. I had not known that she belonged to someone already. _I did not want to know, _I thought. _I don't care, either. _

Mr. Ross began the lecture of the day. I zoned out and took glances at the human girl. I tried to stop myself but I couldn't. My eyes went there back and back again. At the end of the class, I heard Mr. Ross calling out names. I glanced at his mind wondering what he was doing. I felt a tingle go up my spine. He was paring up two students to work on a group project. I waited impatiently for my name to be called out.

"Chandler and Harris; Albom and Hamilton; Gabaldon and Smith," he called out, "Anderson and Holland; Cullen and Bells; Martin and Laurens…."

_What?_ My mind went into complete panic. _Did he just say Cullen and _Bells_? No! _ I realized that that meant I would have to speak to her. Did I want to do that? I looked at the human girl and she was staring at me with her lips pressed together and her eyes wide. I wondered what she was thinking.

"Everyone please get together with your partners at this moment. We still have 10 minutes. I will go individually and explain to each group what I want you to do."

I looked at her and saw her hesitate in her seat. She took a breath and stood up. She walked towards me. I felt the world shift. I knew that I could go up to the professor and easily manipulate him to change me partners. But I let her come to me and let her drag an empty seat next to mine. She sat there silently, not looking at me staring straight ahead. I said nothing. I waited for the professor to reach us and then I would vault out of there. I could hear him as he gave different assignments.

Mr. Ross finally reached us a minute before the class ended. "All right," he looked down at his papers. "Cullen and Bells… You two can do… Romeo and Juliet by Shakespeare, I would like you two to re-write it in a different version. That's all I am going to tell you. Come up with something."

_Romeo and Juliet? _My mind went into a spin of horror. I had not read or touched that story since… No! I could not do it! I could not read, much less re-write, the one story that reminded me so much of my Bella and especially not with the human who looked like her… with, I forced myself to think her name… with Asheni…


	11. Romeo and Juliet

Disclaimer: Woops! Forgot to put this in last chapter… but I have no claim on any characters that come from New Moon or Twilight…

THANKS TO ALL WHO HAVE REVIEWED!!!!!

**Chapter 11: Romeo and Juliet**

I watched once again as the human walked towards me the next day. Her cheeks became redder the closer she got. I followed her with my eyes. A foot away from me, she tripped over her own feet. I chuckled softly as she barely caught herself. She glanced at me and shyly smiled. The smile quickly left my lips and I turned my head to look straight ahead.

"Hello," she said quietly. I looked at her and nodded. I couldn't speak. If I did, I felt that it would seem _real. _

"All right, everyone please begin your group project. I will walk around and see if anyone needs any help," Mr. Ross told the class.

The human fidgeted next to me. "I… uh… I guess we are doing Romeo and Juliet." I looked at her again as she spoke.

"Yes," I forced myself to speak to her for the first time. I saw as her eyes dazed for a second at the sound of my voice. I smirked at her human reaction and turned away once again. I remembered Bella had had the same reaction every time I talked to her. The only difference seemed to be that this human was scared of me. At least she was reasonable in that… unlike Bella. It had been one of the reasons that I had loved her so much; she was never scared of me…

A student came in late and let the door slam behind him. At the sound, the human jumped out of her skin. I frowned as I heard her heart race and her panicking eyes scan to see where the sound had come from. She relaxed only a little when she saw that it had been just the door. I could hear the blood racing inside of her. She had gone into the fight or flight mode.

"Are you ok?" I asked without thinking.

"Um..." she glanced my way nervously, "Yes, I'm fine. I just don't like loud noises."

"I can tell." I was speaking to her. I couldn't believe that I was speaking to her. I was talking to the human who hurt my heart every time I would even glance her way.

"They scare me…" she chuckled nervously. The sound was beautiful; so close to Bella's.

"Why is that?" I wanted to know…

"I don't know… I have always just been scared since I was little… I don't know why…"

I wondered at her reaction and turned my face so that I could study her closely. She really looked liked my Isabella. The curve of her eyebrows, the color of her eyes, the profile of her nose, the shape of her lips, all of it looked so much like _her. _ Even the shade of red she turned as she saw that I studied her.

"Um… so how should we start this?" she asked tentatively. She seemed to realize that I was on the edge of giving her the "cold-shoulder" again.

I shrugged. "I don't care."

"It's supposed to be a new version of it… like Romeo could be a Hollywood star that falls for a poor girl… I don't know…"

"They are not from different social standards," I pointed out. As I talked Mr. Ross came to us.

"How's it going?" he asked.

"Well, we don't really know how to change it…" she talked to him. I blocked them out and watched the human girl speak. She was different from Bella. She talked with a little more confidence but maybe it was because this human had grown up here while Bella had been a new student. There was something in her that made her different but I couldn't peg what _it _was.

"So, Romeo is a supernatural-being?" I vaguely hear Mr. Ross say. I frowned and tuned into what he was saying.

"Yes… I have been reading a lot of fiction lately and Romeo could be like a spirit, robot, werewolf or… something…"

"Werewolf?" I snorted, "Not likely."

"You don't like werewolves?" Mr. Ross asked. The human girl looked at me curiously.

"Not really. They are just huge, pompous dogs…" I shrugged. Mr. Ross frowned and stared at me.

"Well, if not werewolf… we could do… vampires!" the human said happily.

"Yes. Good idea," Mr. Ross nodded.

"And the Juliet could be the human he falls in love with!!" the girl said happily.

"What?" I asked," No, that's a bad idea."

"I don't see why not. It's very imaginative and I like it. Good job, Asheni." Mr. Ross walked away. The girl seemed to get lost in thought.

"They both fall in love… but… but…" she seemed to be stuck… I would let her come up with her own story. I would say nothing at all. How could she even think about making up a story like that?! When the real story was very painful!!

"So? What do you think?" she asked me with hope in her eyes.

I looked her in the eyes… they were so beautiful and without thinking I blurted, "Blood lust. He craves her blood above all else _yet_ he loves her above all else."

"Yes!" she smiled brightly at me. "That's great! She can't stop loving him either even though she knows what he is! But how does she find out?"

I do not know where the compulsion came from… but I began telling her my story… I told her of Romeo's desire for Juliet's blood… I told her the tale of Romeo's forbidden love for a human. I told her of Romeo's breaking point; the day Juliet almost died because of who he was… I told her of how Mercutio tried to kill Juliet… of Romeo breaking her heart and Juliet believing he didn't love her… of Paris' love for Juliet… I told her of Mercutio's mistress trying to kill her… of Romeo's trying to commit suicide when he thought Juliet was dead… then I stopped.

I looked at the human, Asheni, and realized what I had just told her. She had watched me speak the whole time smiling slightly.

I had told her of Bella. I had told this strange human of my love… of my Juliet. I felt betrayal sweep through me; I had betrayed my love for a school project?!

I couldn't stop myself once I had begun. She made it so easy to tell her. Why did she call me to her so?

The bell rang at that moment. I got up without a good-bye and left her sitting there. I left her even though for a second I wished I could stay…

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	12. The Unexplainable Apparition

Disclaimer: I own nothing…. But my possessions and ideas…

**Chapter 12: The Unexplainable Apparition **

The sounds of my breathing resounded heavily around me. In. Out. In. Out. Even though I had no need for breathing, it made me _feel. _In, out, in, out. The thumps of my steps reached my ears.

Step, step. _Faster_, I thought. Step, step, step. _Faster! _

Step, step, step! Step! Step! Step! STEP! STEP! STEP! The woods blurred around me as I ran as fast as I could away from the school.

After my English class, I had gone to Alice; she had just held out her hands as I dropped my car keys into them. Without a word to my siblings, I had run. I had not run very fast at first, not only because I was still in the streets, but because my heart was filled with fear. Once I had reached the woods my fear had turn to courage. So I had run faster.

I, finally, reached my destination. My heart felt heavy as I gazed at Bella's grave. I slipped down and hugged her gravestone and felt that if I let go my life would end. It was my lifeline.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry for not coming back to see you after my first day in Forks." I had been here only one time since I had been here.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I played without you. I'm sorry," I took a deep breath, "I'm sorry for the hu... I'm so sorry." I said all of this but felt... empty. There was nothing here. It was not like centuries before.

I remembered a time that everything in the world would feel right just because I came here but not anymore. It was as if Bella weren't here anymore. I felt that she had abandoned me and had finally went to heaven. Maybe she had been tired of hanging around her grave waiting for me and just stayed with the angels where she belonged. She wasn't here.

I felt my heart break into a thousand pieces... my Bella wasn't here anymore. I realized that the main reason why I had stop coming was because I felt nothing the last time I had come. I was scared to feel this nothingness again. There was no air where I sat. I tried so hard to hold on to her... to bring her back to our meadow but nothing seemed to work. There was just _nothing... _

"I didn't abandon you, Bella," I cried. "Please, come back. Please. I didn't abandon... please, don't... abandon me... I am nothing without you. My love, please, come back to me." I felt breathless. My world shifted and I didn't know where I stood. My Bella's soul had left our meadow and I was scared that it would never come back.

"I am not ready to move on," I whispered raggedly, "I don't want to move on." I waited for something... for anything to tell me what to do but nothing happened. There was no wind blowing, no animal suddenly appearing, no cloud covering the sky, and no spirit. I did not know if I waited for an unexplainable apparition... but nothing happened. And that scared me more than anything.

Bella would not come back to me at the meadow. I did not know if she ever would. That fear above all else drove me to leave the empty meadow, so that I would not dwell on it's emptiness. Suddenly, I felt the urge to leave. There was nothing here. Life waited somewhere else for me. It was not at our meadow. It was not here, in this clearing, where I had spent the happiest moments of my dead-life. There was new life to be made and it was not here, I realized. Something in me pushed me to leave the meadow and make my way back to my house.

I left the meadow behind me. I made my way through the woods with the desire to be home. Home called to me. I wanted to leave behind the emptiness that the meadow brought. As I reached my house an unfamiliar yet familiar smell reached me. It seemed to be a stranger's smell on top of the one I knew. I growled. There was a stranger's car in the front of my porch. I made my way around the car to find someone on my porch. I frowned. Some human.

"What do you want?" I called out. The person jumped and turned to face me. It was the apparition I had been waiting for. Was I going crazy? Then I realized who it was.

"Oh! You scared me, Edward," she smiled. The emotions left my face but filled the emptiness I had felt in the meadow.

"Asheni," I said.

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	13. The Lullaby

Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah… I don't own the characters from New Moon or Twilight…

My sister decided to continue writing this story for me… she wrote some but then I… um… made _some _corrections… I bolded what I kept from her story… LOL… She still loves me, though!

**Chapter 13: The Lullaby**

I gazed at the girl as she waited for me on the porch. Her smiled slipped when I stayed silent. I slowly walked toward her.

"I hope you don't mind," she said softly, "Alice told me it would be OK."

"Alice," I muttered. I wondered what she had seen as I walked up the porch. She stepped back as I reached for the door, "What are you doing here, Asheni?"

"I… uh… well, we have to work on our English assignment, remember?" she looked down at her feet.

"You shouldn't have come here."

"Sorry," her cheeks flooded with indignation, "I'll leave... I won't disturb you again." She quickly walked down the steps toward her car.

"Wait!" I called. She stopped but didn't turn around. "Don't leave… I… uh… didn't mean to be rude. It's just… I would have come to you. You didn't have to come here." She slowly turned around with a smile on her face. She was so simple yet beautiful.

"**I'm sorry I came so unexpectedly. You just left so suddenly I thought something was wrong**," she made it into a question at the last second.

"Everything is all right," I couldn't believe that another person outside of my family would be worried about me. "Thanks for the concern," I smiled. Heat pooled in her cheeks as she smiled back. I had missed seeing that affect on humans. We stood there, both of us not knowing what to do.

"Well, you can come in," I pushed my house door open. "Be careful, some of us bite." I warned her. She looked back at me and chuckled.

"You bite?"

"Maybe… if I like the taste," I said. I couldn't believe that I was flirting with her. We entered my house and I closed the door behind us.

"Edward?" a voice called out.

"It's me." I told Esme as she appeared from the back where the kitchen was located. She stopped when she saw the human next to me. Her eyes widen in surprise as she stilled.

"Mom," I said before she could speak, "This is Asheni Bells from school." Esme blinked and composed herself.

"Of course, darling. Hello… Asheni?" she held out her hand. Asheni smiled and shook my mom's hand.

"Hi, Mrs. Cullen," Asheni said, "Your reaction is curious."

"Really? How so?" Esme asked. I looked at the human as she blushed. I guessed that she hadn't meant to say that out loud. I wondered what she was thinking.

"No… It's just that Alice and Emmet seemed to have your same reaction. I just thought it was funny," she laughed awkwardly.

"Oh," Esme seemed to be at loss for words.

"It's because you look like someone we knew a long time ago," someone said from above us. I looked up at the stairs to find Alice and Jasper coming down the stairs.

"Yes. She was like a daughter to me," Esme said softly.

"And a sister to some of us," Jasper said quietly.

"She was full of life and warmth," Alice grinned, "Except when I made her go shopping with me!"

"Where is she?" Asheni asked.

"She died," I said cutting off any more discussion about the subject. "Come," I steered Asheni into the living room. She did not know how to respond to my abrupt answer and reluctantly let me guide her.

We both went into the living room to find Rosalie sitting on Emmet's lap watching a movie. They both looked up when they heard us come in.

"Hello, _Bells_," Emmet said in a greeting. Rosalie glared at Emmet, even I glared at him, then at Asheni.

"Um… well, hi, _Cullen_," Asheni said nervously glancing at Rosalie. Emmet chuckled at her reaction; he always found humans entertaining.

"She doesn't bite… much," Emmet laughed. "Asheni this is my—"

"Girlfriend," Rosalie snapped.

"Yes, my girlfriend, Rosalie," Emmet finished smiling.

"Hey! I didn't get to present my boyfriend!" Alice said in a hurt voice from behind us. I turned around to find Alice jumping with excitement by a motionless-Jasper. They were such a contrast sometimes. She pulled Jasper forward by the hand. "Asheni, this is _my _boyfriend, Jasper Hale," she said formally. "Don't worry; _I_ know that you wouldn't want him…"

Asheni shook Jasper's hand and blushed at Alice's last statement.

"Alice," I sighed turning to her. Esme shrugged her shoulders when I glanced at her for help.

"Wow," Asheni said, her voice full of wonder, interrupting my annoyance with Alice. I turned to find her looking at the other side of the living room. I followed her stare to my grand piano. I had almost forgotten that I had moved it two nights before. It seemed so long ago.

"Do you play?" I heard Alice ask her. Asheni nodded without looking away from it.

"Only on e-p's… I have never seen one, a grand piano, before. Only in those old movies," she seemed to be talking to herself. E-p's were electronic pianos the size of a hardcover book.

"They are very old," Alice said gently.

"Can- Can I play it?" she asked hopefully. _Of course not, _I thought angrily.

"Yes. Go ahead," Alice said smiling before I could say anything. I turned to glare at her. _How dare she tell her yes?_

Alice did not look my way; avoiding my gaze. I let my mind guard down to read her thoughts but got distracted when I heard the bench scratch the floor as Asheni moved it to sit down. I, instantly, went to stop her but before I could reach her Alice grabbed me by the arm.

"No," I hissed at her, "She's _not _allowed to play!" My voice was so low that only the vampires in the room heard me.

I snatched my arm away and swiftly moved toward Asheni. I reached for her planning—forcefully, if need be— to remove her from _my_ piano. A second before I could touch her, the first notes she played reverberated around me. I stopped with my hand reaching toward her; stunned beyond all imagination.

"_What do you call it?" her brown eyes smiled at me. _

"_My Bella's Lullaby," I answered watching as her smile widened and her cheeks blushed pink. _

"_Thank you," she said moving her head closer to me on her pillow. The beauty of her overwhelmed and for a second I had no idea what she meant. _

"_For what?" I asked feeling dazed at her nearness. It always amazed me how she had the same affect on me as I had on her. _

"_For taking care of me… for your music," her eyes drooped with sleep, "For being here… For… loving me…" She sighed and snuggled herself in my chest. I felt a bittersweet feeling wash over me. I felt sadness yet happiness fill my heart. _

"_No, Bella," I whispered to her, "I should thank _you_… For letting me experience the greatest joy in my life… you kiss… for in a kiss goes the soul." _

"_Yes," she smiled with her eyes closed; barely conscious, "And mine will always belong to you." _

"_I love you, Bella," I whispered as she fell deeply asleep, "More than you will ever know." _

A memory of one of our nights in her room listening to her CD held me in its clutches as the song that I loved dearly was being played by a complete stranger. I opened my eyes as she finished the song. I had not realized that I had closed them.

She turned on the bench to look at me and surprised registered in her features as she saw my outstretched hand. I, quickly, pulled my hand back. I stared at her.

"I… I always wanted to play that song on a real grand piano," she said watching me curiously. "It's the only song I know actually."

"How? What?" my voice sounded hoarse, as if I had not used it for years. She looked at me trying to decipher what I meant.

"What do you call it? How do you know it?" Alice asked for me. She had known, I realized. Alice had known that she would play this.

"Oh," she glanced at Alice then back at me. "It's called _My Bella's Lullaby_."



**That's it… I am done… That's the end of my story… Hope you enjoyed it!!! Please review!! **

**I kid!!! LOL… But do review!! **


	14. The End of the Story

Disclaimer: yawn… I don't own the idea of the Cullens or Swans or Blacks but I do own the idea of what happened to them in this story:-D

I AM FINALLY ABLE TO PUT THIS UP!!!! I wrote it a week ago… here it is…

This, also, will be the last chapter that I will be able to write in a while… I have finals to study for and other tests that happen at the same time… I probably will not update until the 2nd week of May… sorry guys… but anyways… hope you enjoy this chapter! HAPPY READING!

**Chapter 14: The End of the Story  
**  
"How do you know it?" I whispered loud enough for her to hear me.

"My mom hummed it to me all the time when I was little," she chuckled a little, "She told me that..." she stopped, "Wait, you've heard it before?"

"He wrote it," Rosalie said. Asheni frowned at her unbelievingly then turned her gaze back to me.

"Yeah, right," she said laughing.

"He did," Emmet agreed with Rosalie. I glared back at them, only to find Emmet grinning and Rosalie smirking.

"It just sounds like something I wrote," I told Asheni as I looked back at her.

"You write music?" she questioned me with a huge grin.

"That's his piano," Esme said quietly.

"Will you play me something you wrote?" Asheni requested from me. I shook my head feeling an eerie feeling down my spine. _She_ had just played the last song _I _had played on it.

"Why? You just did," Rosalie chuckled.

"I've known it all my life..." she raised her eyebrows at me, "There's no way you wrote it... unless you _are_ our Romeo," she grinned.

"Romeo?" Jasper inserted curiously.

Asheni turned her grin towards him saying," Yeah, our Romeo is part of the undead... a vampire."

"Romeo?" Emmet laughed ignoring her last statement, "Yep, the perfect description of Edward."

"I have to agree," Jasper laughed with him. I shot them both glares.

"What? Is he a romantic? Or just the vampire who wrote the lullaby?"

"Our Edward, here, is just tragic," Emmet said getting up with Rosalie. I saw a confused and puzzled look come over Asheni. "Well, we're out, _Romeo_. Good-bye, Bells or are you Juliet now?"

_Of course not_, I thought angrily, _I have no Juliet. She left me long ago._

"Juliet died, didn't she?" Rosalie asked letting Emmet pull her out of the living room. _Damn it, Rose!_ I felt like strangling them both.

"That was beautiful, Bel... um... Bella's Lullaby, that's what it's called?" Esme saved her slip.

"My Bella's Lullaby," Asheni nodded.

I wondered how she or her mother could know it. _How?_ I racked my brains. There seemed to be no way for me to ask without looking crazy. The only way would be to tell her what I was and that would never happen. _I _would never tell her what my Bella had discovered on her own.

"Very pretty," Alice said cheerfully.

"Well, I have to... make dinner," Esme lied, "Nice meeting you."

"You too, Mrs. Cullen."

"We have stuff to do... so you guys have fun!" Alice smiled. I shot a I-will-talk-to-you-later glare and she just grinned, "Bye!"

"Goodbye," Jasper said over his shoulder as they left.

I felt the atmosphere around us get uncomfortable as the last members of my family left. I had the sudden urge to bring everyone back into the living room. I did not want to be alone with her. I looked down at her still sitting on the bench and wanted her far away from it.

"Come let's sit on the couch," I hastily walked to where Rosalie and Emmet had been sitting a few seconds before. I heard the bench move as she got up to follow me.

"You have a very nice family."

"Thank you."

"Is Dr. Cullen still at the hospital?"

"Yes."

"Um... So all of you guys are adopted?" I reached the couch but waited for her before I sat.

"Yes." I let her sit down on the couch first and then sat as far away from her as I could.

"I don't mean to intrude..."

"Do you have pen and paper?" I asked ignoring her last comment.

"Who uses those outside of class?" she pulled out a bag from behind her that I had not noticed she was wearing. "Where do you come from?" She inquired while she rummaged through her bag.

"South America," I answered without thinking then realized I had answered with the truth. I had been in South America before coming back to Forks.

"What were you doing there?"

"Nothing," it was true. I had just hunted and slept in the mountains.

"You don't look like you're from there... I thought that you all where from Alaska or something," she looked up from inside her bag.

"Well, if you knew, why did you ask?"

"Just making conversation," she muttered. "You didn't have to lie, you know?"

I shrugged away her irritation at my _lie_. "Who's jacket are you wearing?"

"What?" she stopped to look up at me then glanced down at herself. "Oh, it's Quinn's jacket. He always lets me have it for our last class… it gets cold in there," she shrugged. No wonder her scent smelled strange. I felt like telling her to just take it off.

"Here it is!" she exclaimed as she brought out a tiny device that recorded your voice into typed words. You could plug it into a top, a faster version of a computer, and it would automatically re-type, correct, and print out what you had recorded.

"So what are we going to do?"

"Write about Romeo and Juliet?" I inquired seriously. I was glad that "write" meant the recording-your-voice-thingy. It was hard for me to catch up to the modern world's language. I had not mingled with anyone for many centuries... since... I didn't really want to think about it.

"Of course, I meant... anyways. What happens next?"

"How should I know?"

"You were the one telling it, remember?" she shook her head as I shrugged. I did not care to continue telling my story to a human who only thought it was for a project.

"You're a good story teller. You had me going in class… just keep going."

"Why don't you continue it?"

"I am not good… where did you stop? Oh yes, you stopped when Romeo was going to commit suicide when he found out Juliet was dead." She pushed at me to continue.

"Just end it with Romeo committing suicide and Juliet finds out and kills herself, too. There you go… nice and easy. I told you, you didn't have to come all the way over here."

"But that's not the real ending to the story!" she complained. "Tell me the story. Tell the real ending."

"No." I stood up and walked away from her. I felt her eyes follow me as I began pacing between the TV and the couch.

"If you want… I'll just put that dumb ending you gave me for the project… I just want to know the real ending."

"How do you know there's a different ending?" I stopped in mid-stride.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Maybe because I think that… well, I'm not sure… I think that the story you were telling doesn't fit to how you just finished it right now."

I looked at her indecisively. She looked so hopeful sitting there in my old couch waiting for me to say something. _Could it really hurt? _I thought. _Maybe I needed to remember and tell someone what happened. Maybe I could bring some part of her back as I told our story. Maybe _she _would come back to our meadow. _I felt hope blossom in my chest. _Maybe. Maybe. Maybe. So many maybes and no certainties. _I sighed and went to sit back down next to her.

"Juliet found out that Romeo thought she was dead. So, she went after him to save him…" I continued. My mind went back as I told her my story. I remembered our meeting with the Volturri, my promise to change her, my nights and days with Juliet, our troubles with the pack, our graduation, my proposal, Romeo's sister, Allie's (I called her) vision, my second leaving, my return… and the ill-fated red dress… the attack…

"What happens next, Edward? What happens to Juliet?" she was excited... almost jumping up and down on her seat with half-a-grin on her face. Her excitement brought me back to the present.

I felt anger sweep through me. This human only thought it entertaining! She didn't understand the great shame I felt that I had failed her!

"I don't know... how about _you_ make up something?" I snapped. Surprised flickered through her eyes at my obvious anger. She understood nothing!

"That's not going to work. I can't just finish your story for you. You're the one who came up with it..." I could tell she was confused. Why did she have to look like Isabella Swan? Why couldn't she be an witch-ugly-looking human? I felt laughter bubble inside of me… _witch-ugly_.

"But it's supposed to be a group project... so you finish it." I told her calming down.

"I thought we weren't going to give this ending..." She waited for me to say something. I averted my gaze. "Fine, well... Um... Romeo saves Juliet and they live happily ever after?" she shrugged.

"Sure, Asheni." How I had hoped for that ending...

"No, I don't like it... Come on, Edward finish the story!" she commanded me with hope in her eyes. I gazed back at her for a while not sure what to do.

"When the vampires kidnapped Juliet, did she die?"

"No," I said softly, "she didn't die." My Bella had not died.

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	15. The Attack

Disclaimer: I repudiate any claim about Meyer's characters…

THANKS for all the great wonderful reviews from all my beautiful reviewers…

This chapter was going to be originally twice this size but I decided to just separate it in 2 chapters instead…. So, that said, I already have 2 ½ pages of the next chapter… woo-hoo! Hopefully I will be able to finish it soon but I'm still in finals….

**Chapter 15: The Attack**

"Tell me what happened to her," she coaxed softly. A vampire is supposed to be strong and powerful and not easily knocked out. It always hurt me that I couldn't defend her that night as I should've had. The guilt of not stopping the attack still killed me everyday, every night.

_I snapped up and searched for her. I felt panic trying to overwhelm me but I pushed it aside. No time to panic. I must save her. I heard my cell phone vaguely ring as I searched for her. _

_There! I heard her scream coming from inside the trees. I ran as fast I could toward her. Nothing could separate me from her. Nothing would! Not when the day of our happily-ever-after was so close. I could not bear it if I lost her now. I couldn't. I refused to let Alice's vision come true. _

"_Edward!" I heard her voice scream from a distance. She was miles away already. I ran toward her voice with my world crashing around me. I had to save her. I had to. There would be no way that I could live without her. I ran as fast as I could. I had never run so fast in my life. It seemed like I ran after them for days._

_I, finally, reached them all at a clearing. There were three of them; a blond, black and red haired vampire. The blond male vampire ran behind Victoria with Bella over his shoulders. I will kill them, I vowed. No one was allowed to touch her, ever!_

_I tackled down the closest vampire. I ended straddling him and with all the anger and panic in my heart I punched him, knocking him out. I quickly stood up and found the other scum smiling at me across the clearing. _

"_LET HER GO!" I yelled. Victoria smiled bigger and took a step forward. She stood a little to the front of the other vampire. _

"_Well, well… if it isn't the murdering freak…" She glanced at the blond haired vampire with Bella and sent a nod his way. His thoughts were empty… he only knew what his dead-creator's lover told him. He abruptly slipped Bella down and turned her to face me. She looked at me with panic in her eyes and I knew that this image would haunt me forever. _

"_I said 'LET HER GO!'" I growled. Victoria shot her hand behind her and pulled Bella by the arm to stand in front of her. I heard as Bella whimpered in pain when Victoria gripped her hard. _

"_No," Victoria grinned. "I was planning to have a lot of fun with your mate by herself but wouldn't it be more fun with you watching?" _

"_I will kill you…"I growled. "You will be sorry."_

"You_ will be sorry you killed _my_ James," she snarled. Absolute despair and pain filled Victoria's eyes and thoughts that for a split second I felt sorry for her. The terrible pain she felt was exactly how I had felt when I had thought Bella had killed herself some time ago. I understood why she was doing what she was doing. I would have gone after and killed whoever hurt my Bella and I would kill Victoria, now, for touching her, just as I had killed her James. _

"_I will not say it again," I yelled. A groan at my feet made me glance at the floor where the black-haired vampire lay. I quickly knocked him out again. I glanced back at the others, staying crouched by the unconscious male, noticing that Bella was shorter than Victoria by a good five inches… that's all I needed. I was so glad that we played baseball as often as we could as I swung a two pound rock at Victoria's face._

"_Run!" I screamed at Bella as Victoria fell back loosening her hold on Bella. I heard her hit the floor as I ran and swung at the blond vampire standing next to them. _

_The blond vampire did not see me coming and joined Victoria on the ground. I quickly turned to follow Bella when a log hit me on my chest knocking me into a tree. "Edward!" my angel screamed as the world turned into a merry-go-round. I felt hands grab me by the arms and drag me to the center of the clearing."Edward," Bella whispered. I blinked away my daze and looked up from my knees to find Bella being held by Victoria again next to another female vampire. The female was a short, black haired vampire that almost looked like Jane from the Volturri. She grinned holding a huge log in her hands; hitting it on her palms as if it were a mere baseball bat. I growled and desperately launched myself against them but was brought short by the hands that held me back. I snapped my teeth at the two vampires who only laughed at my attempts."How much do you like your human?" the Jane-look-a-like asked smiling."Let her GO!" "Tell me Edward... How did James die?" Victoria questioned with a mocking curiosity."Just like you _all_ will!" "Did he beg like __you will__ when I kill your pet?"_

"_Don't you dare harm her!" I struggled against their hold refusing to believe that these two vampires could keep me away from saving my Bella. Victoria laughed and roughly pulled Bella closer to her; one arm draped across Bella pining her arms to her side. _

"_I do hope you _don't_ enjoy this," she grinned. I roared as Victoria pulled Bella's hair and exposed her neck. Bella fought against her but even with all her struggles she didn't even faze the scum who held her. _

"_Don't… I will do what you want. I will give you my life… but, please, don't harm Bella," I had been reduced to begging. Edward-the-vampire had been reduced to begging and I cared not, if it would save the person that most mattered to me in the world. _

_Victoria's eyes twinkled with glee at my desperation. Her fangs grew long and Bella whimpered as they scratched her neck without drawing blood. The Jane-vampire laughed at Bella's panic. _

"_Stop," I whispered. _

"_Did you stop when you killed my James?" _

_I had to think of something; anything to take us out of this situation, even if it only saved her life. My life did not matter as much as hers. Victoria's mind was filled with the hatred and pain that she wanted me to feel. "She's _just _a human, Victoria. Don't you think that I will forget her in a few months?" _

_Bella's eyes had widen at my statement and blinked dazedly. _Don't believe it,_ I thought to her. _Please, don't believe it.

"_Will you?" Victoria asked raising her head. _

"_Yes, I will. You would be better off killing me then her. She's just going to be a phase in my life after she dies… Her death will not affect me for long. Don't you want me to suffer just as much as you are?" I scanned Bella's face but she would not look at me. _

"_What do you think of that, Silvia?" Victoria glanced at the vampire with the log bat. The Jane-vampire scoffed and threw down her log. _

"_If _that _were true, then he would not have come back for her… you know what, dear vegetarian?" Silvia asked coming closer to me. "My sire sent me here months ago to spy upon you all. I wanted to kill _all _your family… it would have been fun."_

_I listened to her thoughts as she went through her memories. All of them followed Victoria because she and James had made them and they all wanted to avenge his death. She had followed both me and Bella for months. For a while, they had been planning to kill all my family, which was the reason that Alice saw our murders, but they had changed their minds when I had left them. With my leaving they thought that I cared not for my family as much as they thought I did, so Victoria had changed her mind. _

_Silvia had been the one following me when I followed Bella. She knew that Bella meant the world to me. I felt completely deflated at her last thoughts. Silvia knew… _

"_You would do or say anything to save Bella," she said as curiosity filled her thoughts. She did not understand how I could care so much for someone so insignificant that I would kill one of our kind for her. "I will enjoy seeing you suffer just as James did." Silvia walked away to stand next to Victoria again. _

"_Pain… it is," Victoria whispered. I saw it in her mind before it happened. I saw it and I panicked. I struggled so hard that the vampires holding me where taken by surprise when I dragged them with me for a few feet. They dug in her heels to keep me from getting close to Victoria. She laughed as she brought her mouth close to Bella's neck once again. She scratched Bella leaving blood trails along her arched neck this time. _

"_No!" Bella's voice was panicked. Victoria slowly licked away the blood as all of us watched in fascination. I swallowed remembering the way she had tasted when I had sucked the poison from her hand. The wind blew toward us and I felt a twinge of lust for her blood. An image of us sitting at our meadow crossed my mind. It seemed irrational that I would think of it at this precise moment. _

"You tempt me so," Edward smiled down at their intertwined hands.

"Tempt you? How so?" Bella smiled shyly.

"Every time I am around you… just by being you…"

"Really?" she chuckled softly.

"I'm serious, Isabella," she made a face at my use of her whole name, "I lust for you…"

Her cheeks became that beautiful shade of red I adored. "I lust for you," I repeated seriously cupping her face in my palms, "…body, soul and… blood."

"Me, too, Edward," she whispered very timidly.

"You want my blood??" I said horrified.

_Her laughter rang in my ears as I watched with utter devastation as Bella screamed when Victoria sank her teeth into her neck. I screamed along with my angel. Victoria laughed in her mind as she drank deeply from my one true love. I watched feeling completely helpless as Bella slowly stopped struggling. The more she relaxed in Victoria's arms, the stronger I fought against the scum holding me and the more I yelled. _

_Victoria brought her head up, licking away blood from her lips, she grinned widely. I desperately scanned Bella with all my senses. I sighed as I heard her heart still faintly beating. I was so glad that Bella still lived that it took me seconds to wonder why. No vampire could stop drinking once begun; the lust was too much for that to be possible. I examined Victoria's mind and saw why James and her had made a great team. James had been a great tracker but she was even better at torture. Victoria had learned to perfect and control her blood lust when torturing. She was very good at it. There was another thing that she was good at, also, but as I attempted to follow that thought, Bella's groan brought me back to her. _

"_My face will be the last face you see before I kill you," I told Victoria without bothering to look away from Bella. The only response I received was laughter from all around me. The laughter abruptly stopped._

"_Sire," Silvia whispered. I paid her no heed as I fought to reach Bella and rip her away from them. I stumbled down as I was suddenly released. I looked up from the ground to find the two male vampires looking to their right and stumbling away. _

"_It can't be," Silvia's eyes filled with fear. _

"_We can take them," Victoria said angrily. Them? Was it my family? The breeze brought the awful smell of werewolf answering my questions. _

"_There's too many," the blond vampire told her. None of them were paying any attention to me as I got up and ran at Victoria. Silvia saw me at the last minute, got between us, and we tumbled down. _

"_Get him, you idiots!" Victoria yelled. I roared at them as they all held me down. A chorus of howls answered me. Suddenly, the wolves were all there. _

_The fight was vague after that. I know that Jacob was the wolf that threw the vampires off of me. Once free I went for Bella. A second before I was able to reach them I heard Victoria's panicked thoughts. She was going to just snap Bella's neck and kill her. She wanted Bella dead. I ran faster._

_I, quickly, grabbed her arm before she could do any more damage to Bella and broke it. Victoria screamed at the pain and let Bella go. I clasped Bella to me before she hit the ground. I looked up to see where the red-headed scum had gone and realized that she had left the clearing. I wanted to run after her and kill her. But the sudden silence around me stopped me from following. I couldn't leave Bella to the tender care of wolves. _

_I ignored the silence as I quickly checked Bella. She was breathing and her heart beat; that was all I could tell. I needed to take her to Carlisle. I, finally, looked up to find six pair of werewolf eyes staring at me. The leader of the pack stepped up and quickly turned back to a human. It looked very painful to me. He was angry about what had happened to the human who lay in my arms. I believed I was angrier than him. _

"_The treaty has been broken," Sam told me. _

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	16. The Broken Treaty

Disclaimer: Yo no soy dueña de Edward y Bella… Pero si de mis ideas…

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**Chapter 16: The Broken Treaty**

"_The treaty was between _us_ and your _ancestors_ not between _them_," I pointed at the pieces of the vampires at their feet with my chin, "and your ancestors." _

"_You are to blame for what happened here!" _

"_I never meant for this to happen!" I looked down at Bella's still form in my arms. "I never meant…" _

"_Is she…?" Jacob Black stepped up turning into a human. He seemed to do it with more ease then the pack leader. _

"_She's alive. I need to take her to Carlisle…" I said not bothering to answer his real question. What he really wanted to know was whether she would turn into a "bloodsucker." They were all communicating through telepath; Bella had told me they did it but had not known the great connection between them. _

Calm down, Paul, _Sam thought. _

She deserved it… hanging with scum, _the gray dog thought back. Jacob and I growled at him at the same time. _

"_Thank you all, for helping me save Bella," I said surprising them. They did not know that the cold-ones had emotions, "But what are you doing here?" I asked them. _

_Suddenly, the wolves began to growl looking to the right of the clearing. I felt flickers of familiar thoughts and felt relief that my family had finally come. They stepped carefully into the clearing with Carlisle and Esme in the front. _

"_Hello, Quileute Protectors," Carlisle bowed his head respectfully. _

"_Cullen," Sam responded. _

"_Thank you for helping, Jake," Alice said stepping next to my parents. I saw in both of their minds the reason why they had come. Alice had had the vision and called me as soon as she could. The cell had rung when I had been thrown unto to the tree from Bella's porch, I remembered. When I had not answered, she knew that they would not get here on time so had called Jacob Black. We were at the very edge of the Quileute's territory, I realized. Jacob had convinced the others to help since they were closer than my family. _

"_Father," I called out to Carlisle. "Please…" Carlisle came to kneel down beside me and checked Bella. Everyone stood quiet as Carlisle examined her. _

"_She lost a lot blood but she's going to be OK, Edward," my father sighed. _

"_Is she really?" Sam asked. _

"_Do not worry, pack-leader, she will not be turning into a cold-one tonight."_

"_She was bitten. How is that possible?" Jake wanted to know. I growled at his thoughts of disgust that she would become like me. _

"_She was bitten, yes, but also her blood was taken… the blood containing the… venom… was taken… she meant to kill Bella, not turn her." _

_Suddenly, my body began shaking uncontrollably with suppressed emotion; I might have lost her forever. I buried my face into her hair as tremors ran a long my body. I felt Carlisle put his hands on my shoulder giving me comfort. _

He really cares for her_, Sam thought amazed. _

If he cares why has he hurt her so much?_ Jacob thought. Jacob was right; I had hurt Bella many times by me being what I was. _

"_Did you mean to hurt Emily?" I looked up to ask Sam. _Of course not_, Sam thought but he said made no response out loud._

"_It's different!" the dog called Jared said as he turned human, anger twined into his voice. _

"_How so?" Jasper said as he calmed everyone down. _

"_We don't kill," Quil, the new wolf, answered. _

"_We don't either," Emmet growls softened as Jasper touched him. _

"_Edward?" a voice whispered from my arms. I looked down at her and laughed with joy at the sight of her warm brown eyes. _

"_Bella, my beautiful Bella." I stroked her face. _

"_Am I going to…?" her eyes widen in fear. I shook my head and heard her sigh. I felt Jacob's flicker of satisfaction at Bella's obvious desire not to turn. _

"_I didn't want to be turned like that…" she whispered, "I want to marry you and have you do it." I felt all the werewolves' flicker of anger at her response. _

"_I love you, Bella," I ignored everyone but her, "I would die if I lost you." _

"_I love you, too, Edward," she smiled with love shining in her eyes for me. Jacob's pain wasn't easy to ignore as they filled his thoughts. He wished that she would have looked at _him_ that way. _

"_We should be going after the red-headed bloodsucker," Jacob's voice made Bella jump. She turned around and her eyes widen as she took in all the supernaturals around her. _

"_Jake," I felt jealously sweep through me as she smiled at the dog. She slowly and painfully sat up. "This is how it must feel to donate blood," she whispered, "from the neck." I chuckle softly. She was going to be OK. _

"_She escaped?" Esme asked Jacob, fear and anger etching her calm voice. _

"_Yes. She slipped from our fingers but we will catch her. Do not worry, bloodsuckers, _we_ know how to _protect_," another wolf, Embry, answered. _

_Carlisle got up from where we were and all of us tensed as he slowly walked up to the werewolves. I felt the strain in Jasper's mind as he tried to keep everyone's emotion under control. _

"_Thank you, pack-leader, for saving my family," Carlisle put out his hands. _

"_We only did it to save the human, Bella," Sam ignored Carlisle's hand. I felt anger sweep through my family at the obvious disrespect. Jasper was having a hard time controlling his emotions and everyone else's at the same time. _

"_Thank you," Carlisle said again, "By saving Bella, you have saved Edward, too." _

"_The treaty was between you and us. You cannot bite a human when you are here and you cannot step unto our lands." Sam grabbed Carlisle hand. _

"_We know the treaty," Carlisle shook his hand. _

"_What you do outside these parts is not," Sam said looking only at Carlisle. Carlisle nodded his agreement. _

"_What?!" All the wolves protested. _

"_We'll keep in touch about the red-headed," Carlisle said. _

"_Let's go!" Sam turned away from Carlisle nodding his head to his pack. The wolves growled their protest but followed Sam into the woods. _

"_Jake! Wait!" Jacob paused looking back at Bella. She struggled to get out of my arms to stand up. I went up with her. She took a few steps toward him but I kept my hand in hers to keep her back. "Let go, Edward, please," she turned to look at me. I shook my head in negation. _

She'll be OK, _Alice thought to me. I did not care. I just wanted to keep her next to me and if it kept her away from Jacob Black; then even better. _

"_Please," she whispered. I took a deep breath frowning at the wolf smell and reluctantly let her go. _

_Bella walked a little unsteadily toward the wolf as I watched seething in jealously. She stumbled and before I could move Jacob Black had caught her in his arms. _

"_Thank you, Jake," she whispered in his ear. _

"_I miss you, Bells," he said in return burying his head in her hair. I growled and took a step forward but Jasper and Alice had found their way to me and held me back. _

"_Me, too," she hugged him tighter. I felt like ripping them apart and yelling at Black to never touch her again. _

"_I don't miss your smell, though" he chuckled. _

"_What?!" she exclaimed as she pushed him playfully, "I do NOT smell." _

_Jacob laughed and shook his head. "Good bye, Bells... I love you. Please be careful."_

"_I love you, too, Jacob."_

"_Yes, but not the way I wish," he whispered. _

"_Bye bells." He quickly kissed her on the lips. _That's it! _My mind screamed. _He was never to come close to her!_ And just as quickly he left. _

_I was glad otherwise Bella would have seen me tear Jacob Black's lips off his face. I walked toward Bella and wrapped my arms around her. I turned her to face me and dropped my lips on hers. Surprise registered on her eyes and then they closed. I felt as if I were wiping the slate clean. In my mind I was erasing Jacob's kiss and imprinting myself and only myself on her. I felt like branding her as mine. I felt myself getting lost in her warmth. _

_Alice cleared her throat bringing me back to the real world. We all laughed at the obvious embarrassment in my love's cheeks. Suddenly, her knees gave up on her so I took her in arms and carried her bridal-style. _

"_You need to rest, Bella," Carlisle frowned. "I'm hoping you won't need a blood transfer." Bella paled at Carlisle's words and vehemently shook her head. _

"_That won't be necessary. I will be fine." _

"_Yes, you will! Your wedding is less than two days away!!" Alice grinned. _

"So what happened?" Asheni said bringing me back to the present. "I hope Juliet doesn't die. What happened? Did Edward save her? Did they get married?"

I shrugged, "Yes. She was saved. That's the end…"

"How?"

"That's the end."

"Are you sure?" she inquired again.

I nodded impatiently. I could not tell Ash the ending. I could not bear to re-live it. I had worried about Bella's safety but I had trusted she was out of immediate danger after the attack. I had been very wrong.

"Did they get married?"

"Happily-ever-after," I lied.

"Well, thanks for telling it to me," she smiled, "You really should write a novel or something. I don't think I've ever heard a story quite like that before."

_You probably never will_, I thought my eyes drifting toward my piano.

"Tell me do you have dreams?" she asked out of nowhere breaking me out of my reverie.

"No."

"You must have dreams, Edward; everyone does, even if they are small."

"I don't sleep… so, no dreams."

"I didn't mean those kinds of dreams," she laughed.

"I don't have any," I shrugged. "Do you?"

"No…" she said and smiled when I raised my eyebrows. "If we are talking about your kind of dream, then no… I don't have any either."

"You don't sleep either?" I questioned her curiously.

"I sleep… I just don't have dreams… I have nightmares…" she whispered. A shadow passed through her eyes.

"What are they?" Her eyes flickered across mine, uncertain.

"I don't," she hesitated, "remember…. I just know that they are the reason behind my…" A loud bang from upstairs interrupted her and made her heart beat frantically. She had gone into the fight or flight mode again just like she had in class.

"It's only Emmet," I assured her. She took a deep breath calming herself down.

"That…" she finished her previous sentence waving her hand at her fight-or-flight reaction from seconds before. "Do you know what time it is?" she abruptly changed the subject.

"No," I said as I watched her rummage inside her purse again to bring out a tiny phone.

"I have to go. Mom is going to be mad if I'm late for dinner."

"All right, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, tomorrow," she slowly walked toward the front door and I followed closely behind her.

"Good night," she called as she walked out my home.

"Good night." I whispered. I walked back to the living room and sat on my piano bench for the rest of the night.

**RRREEEVVVIIIEEEWWW!!! **


	17. The Color Black

Disclaimer: This is annoying to write… I do not own Edward or Bella…

Here is another chapter of "A Thousand Pains." I think there is about three or four more chapters left on this story… I'm very close to the ending!!! I hope to write the next one in the next few days:-D

**Chapter 17: The Color Black**

Asheni Bells and I worked on our English project for a week. Afterwards, she would come to my house unexpectedly. The first time, Alice had invited her to come over so they could hang out but I had been the one who ended up hanging out with Ash, it seemed that Alice had disappeared. She said later that she had forgotten and gone shopping. Ash appeared on my doorway almost every day for two weeks and I would ask her questions about herself. I mostly ignored her questions about me or told her vague answers.

"Can I play your piano?" Ash asked me one of the random days she was at my house.

"Um… not today, Asheni. It… um… it needs tuning." My piano was perfectly fine. No one knew except me how to keep it in-tune because grand pianos did not exist anymore.

"How did you learn how to play if you've never seen one?"

"The e-p. I just sang the song and it showed me which keys to play on the e-p. I just played it on there. I know some other songs but not as much as Bella's Lullaby."

After that I changed the subject. I did not want to think about her knowing my angel's song. I still did not understand how it was that her mother knew it. I wanted to ask but I did not have the courage to.

I tried to talk to Alice about Ash but Alice, knowing the future, always evaded me and never was where I went to look for her. Jasper would just shrug his shoulders when I asked for her. I needed to know what Alice knew.

Even though we had finished our project, Asheni would come sit next to me in school. She would come into the room with her friends and then walk toward me without her usual hesitation. I guess we were friends now. I did not want to be but I liked having her near. She would smile as she reached me even though I would only watch her as she made her way to sit next to me everyday without even the slightest hint of returning that smile.

The only time I would direct any emotion toward her would be when she would trip, stumble or fall. I chuckled as she once again walked across the room and almost took a dive by tripping over the foot of one of the desks. She caught herself and red petals appeared in her cheeks.

"Ash!" an unfamiliar voice called across the room from the doorway. I, instantly, did not like the person. I looked behind her to see her human boyfriend leaning on the door frame. He was rocking back and forth from heals to toes with laughter twinkling in his eyes. I saw Asheni turn at the sound of his voice and watched as she walked away from me to him.

_No,_ I thought, she _should be walking only toward me._ I gritted my teeth together and turned to face the front. The boyfriend had not been in the class during the two weeks that had passed. I had hoped that they were not together anymore. My eyes traveled toward them without my conscious thought as they stood together by the door. For the first time, I studied how the male human looked. Quinn was tall, with broad shoulders, lean and with sharp angles that made him attractive to human girls. I let my walls down around my mind to read his.

_Black_, the name gave me a jolt. He was Quinn J. Black; a descendant of the Quileute's... a descendant of _Jacob Black_. I had made the mistake of believing his last name was Jefferson when Laurell had been thinking about him before, it was actually his middle name.

I looked away from them and stared at the board… _black_, the freaking board was black… I looked around instead and saw a girl wearing _black. _I averted my eyes again and found a guy wearing _black_ shoes… all around the room there were traces of that hateful colorI hated the color black but I especially hated anyone named _Black_.

It seemed that the _Blacks _loved the Bella's, as well. I stopped my thought abruptly. Loved? Did I think that word? _Love?_ _Of course not_, I thought angrily. Not concerning me; I didn't. I only loved one and one only… only one. The reasons for my feelings were only because of her similarity to _her_.No other reason at all for them. I glanced back inside to see the human who sat in front of me carrying a _black _bag.

I glance back at them and discovered that they were hugging. A cloud of jealously fogged my vision. I felt anger sweep through my features as Quinn looked up at me and smiled at my expression. I opened my mind block to his once again.

_You will not have her, bloodsucker, _he thought. _She's mine. _

Bloodsucker? He knew what I was? Of course, Quinn with Jacob Black's blood running through his veins was also a werewolf. I answered with my own smile, challenging his thoughts. I loved a good challenge. I heard a soft growl coming from him.

I learned from his mind that that was the reason why he hadn't been to school for about 2 weeks. He was new wolf. He had been scared to hurt Ash but he believed that he was going to be able to control it. He had heard the rumors about me and Ash becoming very close friends. He would keep her away from me even if he had to forbid Asheni from seeing me.

_Yes_, I thought, _forbid her and we shall see how she reacts. _

_She will stay away from you, _the wolf thought clearly with his eyes. Ash dislodged herself from Quinn as the bell rang and came to sit next to me. Quinn stared at me as he made his way out the door. I looked outside but found the clouds were _black_… I hated _black_…

No, he wasn't going to keep her away from me. I was going to keep _her_ away from _him…_ to protect her. I would win Ash. She would be mine… to protect. I had every right to keep her... to _protect_. The wolf had none. I was completely sure that Asheni Bells belonged to me and me only… _to protect_.

_Only to protect, Bella_, I yelled in mind to the heavens. _Only to protect. _

We had free time at the end of class and I needed to talk to her about the wolf.

"So, you're going out with the… um… him?"

She looked up from her _black _Englishworkbook and nodded.

"You don't really talk about him," I pointed out.

"Oh," she blushed, "We had some problems lately and I… uh… didn't want to _talk _about it."

"You should be careful."

"What?"

"Around Quinn…"

"Quinn?" she laughed, "What are you talking about? I've known Quinn all my life. He is not dangerous."

"Sometimes you don't know people as well as you think."

She scoffs, "Like I don't know you?"

"Exactly," I shrugged. "You don't know what I am…like you don't know what your little w-… boyfriend is…"

"I know him, OK? I do." She looked back down at her paper.

"Alice wants to go out with you tonight", I lied wanting to change the subject.

"She does? I love your sister," she smiled looking up at me again.

"She loves you, too." I said grudgingly. I still needed to know why. "So are you coming over?"

She hesitated as she thought about the wolf, I guessed. "Don't disappoint, Alice, she feels really bad that she has not been able to hang out with you. She just wants to make it up to you," I looked her in the eyes dazing her before she could come up with an excuse.

"Um… all right, sure. I'll come," she said dazedly but then seemed to come out of it, "But only for a little bit."

"I can give you a ride after school."

"Thanks that's great. My car had to go to the shop; it's pretty old. I've had to get a ride from Laurell this whole week."

I laughed at her statement. Old car just like… I wiped that thought from my mind. It was not good for my emotions to compare between them.

"I'll meet you after school."

"Sure."

We left for lunch and she went off to eat with Laurell, some of her other friends and Quinn. I hated the wolves, especially all the Blacks. I heard their conversation through their minds not that I couldn't hear them as well.

"Where were you at?" a male human, Jason, asked.

"I was sick… I had the flu."

"I'm glad your better. I… uh… we all missed you, Quinn," Laurell smiled.

"Yep, we did, there was no one I could laugh at," Asheni chuckled poking him. I hated the laughter that surrounded them. Maybe Laurell would steal Quinn away from Asheni, I hoped. But it was hard to not love the Bella's of world. I ignored their happiness as I had ignored the joy of many throughout the centuries after Bella had left me.

When the bell rang my eyes went to them once again. Quinn had his arms around her waist. Quinn smiled down at her as she hugged him. He quickly glanced at me, as if making sure I was looking, and dipped down to steal a kiss from her. Jealously was my world for a few seconds. I did not want to see this, so I left the cafeteria very quickly.

At the end of school I saw her standing outside close to the parking lot with Quinn. I hate seeing them together. I listened to them talking as I walked human-speed to them.

"You know, Quinn you do seem… I don't know bigger."

"I grew."

"In two weeks?" she laughed.

"Yes," he glanced up and frowned when he saw me walking toward them, "Come, let's go, Ash."

"I can't, I'm going to hang out with Alice."

"What? Where?" I saw tremors begin in his body. I stayed back fearing Ash's closeness to him. He might hurt her if he exploded into a wolf.

"I'm going to go over to the Cullen's."

"I don't like them, Ash," he calmed himself.

"What? Why?" she blinked up at him seeming confused.

"I don't trust them."

"You should give them a chance, Quinn. Alice is a lot fun, Jasper is quiet but cool, Emmett is just hilarious, and Rosalie… well, I don't like her much… she seems cold… but she's ok I guess… I have not really talked to her much…"

"You should be careful… You shouldn't be going over their house," he shook his head.

"It wouldn't be the first time, Quinn." She told grabbing his shoulders. I wanted to keep her away from him. If I weren't so scared that he might accidentally hurt her, I would have.

"It's not the first time?!" his tremors returned.

"Calm down, Quinn," surprise sweeps over her at his reaction. "You would have known if you hadn't ignored my calls for almost two weeks!" He glares at me and thankfully walks away seething.

I softly chuckled at his back as Asheni watched him walk away.

"I didn't know I had plans with Ash tonight," Alice muttered behind me.

"You don't," I answered. "I need to talk to you Alice. Stop avoiding me!"

"Come, Jasper," Alice ignored me and pulled Jasper back to the school, "It seems that I forgot something back at school."

"Call me," I yelled at Alice without bothering to turn around as I heard them make their way back to school.

I walked toward Bel… I took a breather… Asheni. I touched her shoulder to bring her attention to me. She jumped a little as she turned around.

"Oh, hey, Edward," she smiled.

"You ready?" I smiled right back. She seemed surprised at my smile then became dazed. Maybe I should smile at her more often.

"Sure, let's go."

I let her lead the way to the parking lot. I felt glares in my back as I showed her my car and helped Asheni Bells in.

_She's mine, _I thought.

**REVIEW!!!!! PLEASE DO SO!! What do y'all think?? **


	18. The Undesirable Kiss

Disclaimer: No y no y no que no soy la dueña!

**ONCE AGAIN THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WONDERFUL BEAUTIFUL REVIEWS!!!**

**Chapter 18: The Undesirable Kiss**

"We're here," I parked on the side of my house. As I was getting out I smiled as my cell rang showing Alice's face on the screen. Alice was grinning at me.

"Hey, Alice where are you?" I asked innocently.

"I'm sorry, Jasper is thinking about trying out for the drama club and he wanted me to stay with him. For moral support, you know? Is Asheni there?"

"Yes, she's here already."

"What's going on Edward?" Asheni asked standing on the other side of my car. I turned the cell around so that Alice and Ash could see each other. "Hey, Alice, I'm here."

"I'm so sorry, Asheni. Jasper wouldn't take no for an answer and I think I might try for the drama club, too."

"You're trying out? I didn't know they were doing try-outs this late in the year."

"It's for next year. Well, I gotta go, sorry. I'll make it up later. Bye, guys!" she winked out.

I put the cell back in my pocket and shrugged my shoulders.

"Now what?" Ash asked me.

"You could just hang out with me for a while… again."

"All right," she smiled.

"Come with me," I impulsively asked for her hand. She reluctantly put hers in mine and I pulled her into the forest. The place where I was taking her was not that far from the house. She stumbled a couple of times over roots, rocks and sometimes over nothing at all.

We, finally, reached a clearing I had found many years ago. I had never used it before to day. It looked almost like my meadow but it would never have its beauty. The reason I had brought her here was because it was protected with shadows from the trees. The sun could not get in and expose my secret.

"It's pretty… do you come here often?"

"Only sometimes," I answered.

"Shouldn't there be…?"

"Be what?"

"Somewhere else?" she seemed confused at her own words.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing, nothing at all," she shrugged her shoulders.

"Come let's sit down," I pulled her down next to me but not too close, so that we sat on top a huge rock.

"Tell me about your family," I requested from her wanting to know more about her.

"I live with my mom," she began, "I never met my dad… he died just before I was born."

"I'm sorry."

"What about your parents? Do you remember them?"

"No. I vaguely remember my real mother… I have no memories about my real father. Esme is my mom and Carlisle is my father."

"What happened to your real mother?"

"Well, from what Carlisle told me… she was very ill… but before she died she asked Carlisle, who was her doctor, to take care of me. He agreed and so adopted me."

"Were you a baby?"

"Um… yes," I lied to her.

"It's sad that we don't remember them, huh?"

"Yes, but thank the heavens that I have great parents and you have a wonderful mother."

"You're right; my mother is my best friend. She calls me her little angel," she laughed blushing.

"Angel? Where are your wings, angel?" I grinned at her and watched as she became bewildered.

"They got lost when I came to earth," she chuckled softly. "Anyways, the reason is because she almost lost me in labor."

"Really?"

"Yes, but as you can tell, I made it. Mom says I was a miracle… said an angel allowed her to have me."

"That's a beautiful story," I breathed. Asheni smelled so delicious. I felt as if I were going back into my addiction. I felt like a recovered-addict who was being tempted with his favorite drug. I tried to pull away but her smell called me and would not let me go.

I should be scared that I was alone with her. If something happened to her the wolves would definitely know _what_ did it. Yet I knew I could do it. I had been able to be around Bella for years, so none of my family complained that I spent so much time with Asheni, except maybe Rosalie.

"You know I saw Emmett today?"

"You did?"

"I don't really see him that often but I saw him on my way out of the cafeteria."

"What did he say to you?" I asked cautiously.

"Something about dogs… Actually, I have no idea," she laughed. I watched as she laughed. Silver rays of sun hit her where she sat and they made her look absolutely beautiful. She looked like a medieval princess in the middle of the woods making everything breathtaking with the sound of her laughter. I had absolutely no thought at all except for the wonder of her splendor. Without thinking I touched my lips with hers.

She had the most wonderful taste in the world and I considered nothing else but the addiction. I felt her astonishment as she suddenly pulled back but not before I felt her complete response. Shocks of awareness went through my mind as I came out my daze. Regret and utter devastation overwhelmed me at what I had just done.

"I'm sorry, Asheni," I had no excuse.

"Um… it's ok. Don't worry about it. I… uh… I should go," she said awkwardly.

"Yeah, that's a good idea. I'll… I'll take you home."

"OK," she got up and began walking toward my home to the car. I helped her over a couple of roots but she would quickly disengage herself from my touch.

We, finally, reached my car and I opened the door for her. She began to slide inside the car but paused. I never thought any human could surprise me anymore as Bella had done so often but Asheni did. She kissed me. Asheni Bells kissed me.

The essence of her surrounded me and completely took over me for a split second. But the haze of my blood lust seized me in its clutches for an instant.

_This is wrong, _my mind screamed, _for many different reasons. _

I pulled away almost roughly from her.

"I should take you home," I said as I pushed her into the car away from me even though I felt the reluctance in my hands to not let her go. I had to take her home before I did or said something I would regret. I had to keep her away from me. I said nothing as I got in through the driver's side. I drove fast to her house. She glanced my way and knew she was thinking of both our mistakes because of her redden cheeks.

She hesitated at her door when I made no move to open it for her, once we had reached the front of her house. I felt no surprise that her house looked almost like Bella's had so long ago yet with many moderations to it.

"I'm no good for you Asheni," I said as she reached for the door handle.

"You can't decide that for me, Edward," she turned to face me.

"I will only harm you."

"Why do you say that?" questions filled her face.

"We shouldn't be friends anymore Asheni."

"What? Why not? Is it because of what I feel for you?"

I felt anger and despair intertwine inside of me at her words. It should not have been this way. I should have realized that her spending so much time with me would have consequences.

"I'm not good for you," I repeated.

"There's a connection between us! Even Alice sees it! Why can't you?"

"There's nothing between us!! How can there be with your wol… boyfriend?"

She became quiet at my obvious jealousy of her dog. I wished that I could hide my emotions from her better.

"Just…" she took a deep breath, "just tell me and I will break up with him."

I felt a sword pierce my heart at her declaration. How I wished that I could tell her but I couldn't it. Not when I knew for certain that even if I did love… yes, damn it… love her, I would not ever love her as much as I had, still, and would love Isabella Swan. Her memory would always be there. It would not be fair for her or me. I would always compare her to my angel especially when she looked exactly like Bella.

"You shouldn't be with him," a tiny smile began in her amazing mouth at my words but I stopped it with my next words, "and you should definitely _not _be with me."

"Why? Do you think I'm not _good enough_ for him or you?" anger twisted through her voice.

"Stay away from us, Asheni." If I couldn't be near her then neither would the dog.

"Forget you, Edward!"

"Yes, do that. Forget we exist Asheni Bells."

"No, Edward," she angrily opened the door, "I will forget _you _ever existed."

She got out and slammed the door. I watched as she stalks furiously across her yard into her house. I decided I would never direct any questions again to Asheni Bells as I drove away from her house. The last two weeks had been a complete mistake.

I felt like a complete traitor. I grabbed my chest as pain sliced through my heart. The wound that never closed began to bleed profusely. I had betrayed my only. I had betrayed Isabella Swan.

**REVIEW!!!! PLEASE!!! ONLY 4-5 more chapters left (unless my writing deviates me a little) and I'm done with A THOUSAND PAINS!!! I'm so excited… BUT REVIEW SO THAT I MAY TELL IT FASTER:-D **


	19. The Nightmare

Disclaimer: Take me out to the ball game… take me out to the game… buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks… I don't care if we never go back cause its root root root for the home team… if they don't win it's a shame… cause it's one, two, three strikes your out at the old ball game…. And I don't own new moon or twilight…

THANKS AGAIN FOR THE WONDERFUL, AWESOME REVIEWS! HERE IS MY NEXT CHAPTER!!

**Chapter 19: The Nightmare**

I came home to find Alice waiting for me outside the house. I slowly walked up to the porch and sat on the steps.

"Hello, Edward," she said solemnly leaning on the rail, "It happened didn't it?"

"You knew, Alice," I accused her.

"_You_ made the decision."

"What do you see Alice?"

"What I have always seen Edward."

"What do you see?" I asked her as part of my anger escaped into my voice. She said nothing as I opened my mind to read hers. What I saw surprised me.

It was the same vision from many centuries ago; the same vision that she had always seen when Bella lived.

_Bella stood in the middle of our meadow grinning in my arms as we both were covered in shadows. Suddenly, we were enveloped in rays from the sun and both of us shone with the brilliance of the diamonds in our skin._

"You… you," I felt as if I couldn't breathe, "what are you saying, Alice?"

_You already know, _she thought to me.

"What Alice?" my mind refused to understand what she was saying.

"The one in my vision from so long ago was _not _Isabella Swan…"

"No," I shook my head rejecting the conclusion that her mind screamed at me. "You're wrong, Alice... it was her… it _was_ her… only _her_."

"It explains why I have always seen it even after Bella died."

"No, Alice. You… you never told me that."

"I didn't want to hurt you, Edward. I knew it would if I told you I could still see it. Even with the vision of her death, I still saw _that _vision."

"No, Alice." I could not allow myself to believe it.

"I didn't understand why but now I do."

I shook my head denying it all.

"The vampire in my vision was…"

"Shut up, Alice!" I interrupted her.

"Edward! The vampire was Asheni Bells!"

"I said 'NO!!' Alice," I yelled at her. "That's not true. You're wrong! Just like you were wrong about Bella's vision! You were the reason she DIED!"

After my outburst I left her standing there and ran into the woods. I heard her hurt and guilty thoughts at my words. I spent the rest of my night roaming around the woods with all my thoughts of Bella, Asheni and Alice. Nothing made sense to me. Alice's vision complicated everything. I knew it wasn't Alice's fault yet my anger did not let me think straight. Too many questions and no answers. I would probably never get them, I realized. The only way to find any kind of answers would be to talk to the human girl and I would not be doing that anymore.

-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- --

Going to school the next day was a torture for I knew that I would see the human again. I had come by myself in the morning and not seen any of my siblings. I knew that they were there because I would feel their thoughts flash through my mind. Since the night before I had not been able to put my mind-block back up after I had seen Alice's vision. It seemed that my mind had gone into overload and no matter how hard I tried I could not put up my guard.

I walked out of the parking lot toward the school and saw her standing in the middle of her friends Laurell and another girl, Amanda. I slowed down to watch the human girl's contradicting reactions. When Laurell and Amanda would be talking the human girl seemed to get lost in her thoughts and not pay any heed to the two girls talking over her. Then they would ask her a question and she would smile brightly smile and nod. When the two girls resumed their conversation, Asheni would return her melancholy.

She suddenly looked up and her eyes widen with surprise as her beautiful brown eyes connect with mine. Her surprise was short-lived as they quickly turned to anger. She turned back to pretend to be interested in the conversation her friends were having. I averted my eyes from their group as I passed them to go into the school.

"Oh, there goes Edward!" Laurell explained behind me. I made no attempt to turn back at the sound of my name.

"Aren't you really good friends with him?" I heard Amanda ask.

"Not anymore," was the human girl's response.

"What happened?" I heard Laurell ask as I opened the door to the school. Disappointment like purple spider webs weaved through Laurell's thoughts. She had really hoped that the human would fall for me, so that Quinn would be available for her.

I quickly closed the door behind me not wanting to know the girl's response.

For many weeks following we did not direct a single word to each other. My siblings said nothing to me concerning the human. The only thing I did was work on building my mind block and school work. Gradually I made my guard stronger and able to block most of the humans thoughts.

I would see, smell and feel her presence around school and class. She didn't sit next to me anymore. We would accidentally glance at each other at the same time but we would quickly look away. It was harder now to keep away from her now that I knew her then before.

The wolf would hang out everyday on the threshold of our doorway with the human and her friends. His thoughts were obvious yet very satisfied as he would send a smirk my way every single afternoon. He didn't understand the why but didn't care as long as she stayed away. The only thing that sent a very tiny shimmer of happiness through me would be his thoughts of disappointment that she was distant from him, as well. He wanted to know exactly what had happened between us the night we had been together.

Also, he had to bring himself to come talk to us about the Old Treaty between them and us. It seemed that the Old Treaty was still in affect. I cared not and if you asked me, the wolves were breaking the treaty with Quinn being in school in Forks. I guessed that was the reason why he needed to talk to me.

After almost five weeks of no word between the human and I, the dog stood once more at the doorway of my English class with a worried face. I tried to pay no interest to what worried the dog. I wanted to know nothing concerning him… but then I heard the human's name go through his mind as he looked at her between all her friends.

Without my wanting I heard the conversation from that morning between them that still worried Quinn.

"_What's wrong?" he asked worried at the black circles under her eyes. _

"_Nothing… What do you mean?" she looked away. Quinn took her face into his hands and made her look at him. _

"_You look tired, Asheni, what's wrong?"_

"_It's just 'cause… well, I had the nightmare again last night. That's all." Some of his worry left him at her familiar response but… there definitely was a _but.

"_You sure?"_

"_Yes." There was still something off. _

"_Tell me what's really bothering you, Asheni." He saw her hesitate, look away, then looked back at him and answered him. _

"_It was different. The dream it was different last night."_

"_How so?"_

"_You know how usually I don't remember it?" He nodded at her question. "The only thing that I _ever_ remember is the sound?"_

"_Yes, the deafening one. The one behind the reason why you jump at loud noises."_

"_Well, I've been seeing more and more of it every night. "_

"_What have you seen?" She hesitated again but continued softly. _

"_It's me, I'm kneeling somewhere with someone beside me and… I'm _so_ happy." She smiled the happiest smile that Quinn had ever seen. "Suddenly I'm not. I don't know why exactly. Then I hear that sound that frightens me and I wake up."_

"_It's all right, Ash. Its just a dream." _

I watched him hug her in his thoughts. I did not want to hear anymore, so abruptly cut his mind off from me. I vaguely realized that my mind block was back in full force.

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	20. The Confrontation

Disclaimer: I repeat… I do repeat for the 20th time… I do not own Twilight or New Moon… duh! Or else I would have $$$:-D

I am almost done with this story guys!! Can you believe it? I sure can't!! OMGosh!!! What do I do when I have more free time?? THANK YOU once again to all who have, will and think about reviewing!!! You guys make my day!!

**Chapter 20: The Confrontation **

After school, I got into my car and I drove around, around and around. Then I realized I kept going by the human girl's house. I could hear the mother moving around inside. I wondered how she looked like. It might just take me over the edge if the mother even remotely looked like Renee, Bella's mom. I did not was to see her. I passed the house and kept driving. Her house came up again and I realized that I had unconsciously returned. It was _not _good to be seeing stalking this human.

I decided to go home before I made another turn and went by her house another time. I reached my house in less than 10 minutes and realized that I didn't want to be there either. I parked my car at the front and stayed inside. My cell phone rang showing Alice's grim face on the screen. I ignored it. I still did not feel like talking to her. I would not believe her interpretation of her vision! She had misread one before, what guarantee did I have that she didn't misinterpret this one?

I heard a car drive up behind me. _Damn it, my siblings seemed to be home. _I saw them come out and through my window saw them glance at me then back to Rosalie's car. Rosalie had a frown on her face, Jasper and Emmett looked curious while Alice had uncertainty written all over hers. They all walked together up the porch steps into the house. All of them glanced back at Rose's car once again. I frowned at that and glanced up to look through my rear-view mirror and saw a person walking toward me.

I angrily got out of the car and slammed my door. "What are you doing here?!"

"I have to talk to you, Edward," the human walked toward me.

"There's nothing to talk about, Ash!"

"There's a lot to talk about!" she yelled right back at me as I walked away from her toward my house.

"Why can't you listen to reason? Do you want to get killed?" I yelled over my shoulder.

"What? That's absurd!"

"I'm dangerous!"

"If you were then you wouldn't warn me but just _kill _me!"

"I _almost _did." I told her glancing back. She seemed to be caught of guard by the statement but just shrugged it away.

"We belong together, Edward," she said with complete conviction.

"We do not!" I turned to face her as I reached the first step to get to the porch.

"Why? Tell me why?" she stopped a few feet away.

"I… just leave, Ash." I shook my head, "Please, just go. Don't look _for_ me, don't talk _to_ me and don't look _at_ me. It's not right."

"Tell my why?" she insisted. I shook my head again watching as pain filled her eyes. How I wished that I could keep her with me but I couldn't. I could not bear to betray Bella's memory. "Why can't we love each other?"

I said nothing but took a deep breath of her scent and hoped that that would keep me sane for the years to come. "Good-bye, Asheni."

"Please," her voice pleaded.

I closed my eyes trying to keep her voice at bay. "I… I love someone else. I will always love her. I'm sorry." I turned back around to face my house. I felt like a coward who could not face the pain I had caused.

"Is it the girl that I look like? The one you all knew a long time ago? The one that died?" I had forgotten that Esme had mentioned her accidentally when Asheni had first come to the house and played My Bella's Lullaby. I hesitated at her words but kept walking the rest of way to my door. I heard her steps run up the porch.

"Edward, wait!"

"What do you want, Bells?" I could not help but answer. "Go home."

"I... I…"

"You what?!" I spinned back around to face her.

"I… know…" she seemed uncertain.

"You know nothing, Ash." She didn't. This human did not know the great love _I _had felt for Isabella Swan. She did not know that her supposed "Romeo & Juliet" was _my_ story. She did not know that My Bella's Lullaby was the song _I _wrote for my Bella! She knew _nothing_!

"I know how Juliet died!"

"What?" I asked her confused, not sure what she was talking about.

"I know… I know how she died," she whispered and slowly walked to me.

"What does that have to do with anything? You think that inventing another ending for Romeo & Juliet, will change things?"

"Yes."

"What, I repeat; does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything!"

I shook my head, "Good-bye, Asheni Bells." I turned the doorknob to enter.

"Romeo didn't save her!"

I stopped. "What are you talking about?"

"When they were attacked… Paris saved her and Romeo… because Paris loved her. And they _didn't _live happily-ever after."

"What? You plan to change my story now? Did Alice tell you what to say?" Alice would listen to me! How dare she tell her the ending!!

"No. I know… I know…"

"WHAT!?" I turned to glare at her. She took a step back at my anger but squared her shoulders and stood her ground.

"The dress wasn't red, was it?" she whispered. I felt myself slowly become stunned at her words. "It- it turned red…"

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	21. The Bloody Dress

Disclaimer: I wish I owned Edward & Bella but… alas, I don't.

This is the second to last chapter AND the LONGEST!!!! I'm SO excited!! Thank you for all the reviews and hope that you like my ending! I really can't believe that I have finally got to THIS chapter! I have been writing everything to get to this one!! THANK YOU FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!!

**Chapter 21: The Bloody Dress**

"Alice should have told you nothing," I whispered without any strength.

"She didn't," she stood in front of me now. She held her hand out to me and I stared at it wanting to take it so bad yet fearing the consequences of it.

I felt on the brink of ruin and salvation. I felt overbalanced with emotions not knowing which way I would fall in the end as she began to tell her tale. Memories flashed through my mind as her words washed over me.

"_You look so beautiful, Bella!" Alice shriek, "Edward is going to die!"_

"_You really think so?" Bella twirled around in her white wedding dress. The dress was all pure white with patterns at the end of it, all around it. The bottom was poofed out while the top molded to her figure. The sleeves fell down her shoulders… it was utterly beautiful. "It's a beautiful dress isn't?"_

"_Yes but you make it beautiful, baby girl," Renee whispered with tears in her eyes. Bella turned to face her mother and quickly walked to toward her to give her a hug. _

"_Thank you, mom," tears began filling Bella's eyes, as well. _

"_Hey! No crying! Or we will all start bawling," Esme said making everyone laugh. Only Renee didn't know that Alice, Esme and Rosalie did not cry which made it funnier. _

"_Renee and I will make our way to the church," Esme said towing Renee out of the room. _

"_Maybe you should have invited more people," Rosalie said. _

"_Maybe… but I wanted only my family with me," Bella smiled at Rosalie. Rosalie nodded and left the room. _

"_She's coming around," Alice shrugged. Bella nodded and laughed nervously._

"_Tell me, Alice, will everything come out good?" she studied Alice's face. She saw doubt flash across her face for a split second then grinned the uncertainty away. _

"_Everything will be perfect, Bella."_

"_Are you sure? Please, Alice, tell me. Whatever it is tell me." _

"_It has nothing to do with today, Bella, so don't worry about it." _

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Yes, come let's go… it's nothing. I shouldn't have said anything. I don't want to ruin your wedding day."_

"_Alice, tell me what's bothering you?" _

"_The vision of you with the red dress…" she hesitated. _

"_You still see it?" _

"_It doesn't matter, Bella. We stopped it, remember? We stopped it." Bella nodded her agreement. _

"_Come let's go. Edward is waiting for you," Alice grinned. Bella's eyes lighted up at the mention of his name. She laughed nervously again and nodded her head. _

"_Can you believe it, Alice? I soon will be Isabella Cullen." _

_-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- _

_Edward paced back and forth from left to right as he waited for his love at the altar. A hand on his shoulder stopped his pacing. _

"_Calm down, son," Charlie said, "She will be here." _

_Edward looked at his father-to-be and nodded. _Yeah, Bella's coming, _he thought, _but what if she changed her mind? What if she didn't want to be like me anymore? Did she, finally, realized the monster that I was? It would be better wouldn't it? But… but I want her with me! What if she fell out of love with me?

_Edward felt panic begin to overwhelm him, once again, but just as sudden he felt extremely calmed. He glanced over at one of his best man and mouthed a thank-you. Jasper nodded at him in acknowledgement. _

_The church was adorned with white flowers all over the place that Edward did not even notice. Edward wore a white tux that Bella had chosen for him. His brothers had joked around that he looked gorgeous. His fidgeting on the altar made both Emmett and Jasper poked fun at him once again. Charlie, Carlisle and Phil chuckled at their antics to distract Edward. They did not seem to work. _

_The doors to the church opened which took everyone's attention. Jacob Black walked in slowly as if not sure whether he was welcomed. Edward did not want him there but Bella did, so he sent him a nod. Then went back to pacing. _

"_Jake!" Charlie exclaimed walking toward him, "I'm so glad you came. Bella will be very happy." Charlie took Jacob by the shoulders and took him to sit on Bella's side where Phil sat. Edward felt regret that Charlie felt hurt that his best friend, Billy, did not attend. It was his fault that they had broken off their friendship. Billy completely disapproved of their wedding and had made it loud and clear to Charlie. But Edward forgot about the Quileute problems when the doors of the church opened once again._

_Esme and Renee entered together smiling and then they both separated to sit on opposite sides. Edward looked toward the door waiting. It seemed like an eternity later that he saw Rosalie poke her head and nod toward Emmett. Nervousness swept over Edward at the thought of finally achieving his happily-ever-after. _

_He vaguely heard the marching song begin to be played. Rosalie came in first, then Alice… _Where's Bella? _He thought panicked. He glared at the doors willing them to open. _

_They opened. His breath felt like as if it had been punched out of him. She looked stunningly beautiful that it took his breath away. Edward Cullen watched and waited as his angel approached him. The goddess walked to him so that he could love, worship, lavish with riches, and take care of her. Edward knew that he would love her for eternity no matter what the future had in stored for them. _

_Bella could barely see as she walked toward him for tears blinded her way. She couldn't believe that such a god-like-vampire would want to spend eternity with her. She, an ordinary human, a klutz, a I-faint-at-the-sight-of-blood-human… just someone so plain like her. She couldn't understand but she didn't care. As long as he allowed her to be with him, she would not care. She would love him and always take care of him. _

_Bella thought that she was going to make it to the altar without making a fool of herself but she didn't. Edward laughed as Bella took the last step to reach him and tripped over her own feet. He easily caught her in his arms and kissed her red cheeks. They gazed at each other with love shining out of both their eyes. He turned them both around to face the altar. _

_The wedding ceremony began. He gazed at Bella and only vaguely heard the priest state the reason why they were all there. Edward did not need a reminder; he knew exactly why he was there. Today he would make Isabella Marie Swan his for all time. _

_Then, the priest asked that dreadful question of "Is there someone in here who would like to speak against this union from taking place? If not forever hold your peace." _

_Edward heard the annoying thoughts of Jacob wanting to jump up and declare him an abomination and vampire. He saw it plainly in the dog's mind as he did what he wanted to do. I clenched my teeth from growling and snapping at him to not even to dare speak. Then Jacob Black thought of the way Bella looked completely happy and Jacob knew that he wanted that above all else. He wanted her happy for all time. So he stayed quiet and would forever hold his peace. Edward was concentrating on wolf's thoughts that he had not heard anything else until a voice interrupted his thoughts of murdering and thanking Jacob Black. _

"_I do." The voice was extremely familiar and sent prickles of danger down his spine. _

No! _he thought, _Alice had not seen thisAlice said everything would be fine.

_Edward quickly scanned Alice's mind to find utter surprise and anger that she was there. Alice had not seen this coming. Edward was shocked that she had not told him that she had still seen the vision of Bella and the damn red dress but not of this. He quickly got up to face the red-headed scum as she stood in the middle of aisle. _

_Edward read her thoughts but it was hard to concentrate when he heard so many more clashing around the church. Renee and Charlie's thoughts of anger that someone would interrupt the wedding and panic that Edward was going to break Bella's heart once more; Jacob's werewolf instincts at a high level with him trying to control himself and reminding himself that there were humans around; Phil and the Priest's astonishment; and all his family's worry and anger toward the vampire. He tried to block the others as much as possible to concentrate on Victoria's thoughts. _

_But her thoughts were worse than everyone else's put together. She was angry that the Cullen's had killed her creations, emotionally hurt about James and so many other thoughts and emotions flashed through her mind that Edward could barely pin point them before she would think something else. He knew for a fact that she was alone, though. That was one of her clearer thoughts. _

Alone, _she thought, _so alone now. Nothing matters anymore. So alone. James, I'm so alone.

_Victoria was suicidal. Edward kept Bella behind him trying to give her as much protection as possible. _

"_Get out!" Edward and Jacob growled at the same time. _

"_Why do you think so?" the priest asked. _Shut up_, Edward thought. _

"_You must leave, Victoria," Carlisle said gently. He was thinking that we had to take out all the humans inside the church out or just Victoria. I was so glad that Bella had decided to only have her family including Jacob and the priest. That meant only five humans to keep safe. Alice and Rosalie moved to protect Renee, Charlie and Phil when Edward looked toward his siblings pointing his head toward his in-laws. Esme moved to protect the priest. _

"_What do you want Victoria?" Edward asked._

"_You shouldn't marry them priest because he's a murderer!" Victoria pointed to the groom. Renee gasped. "He killed my husband and the rest of my family!" _

"_What?! Oh, my…" Renee whispered before fainting. Edward heard her last thought that she couldn't believe that her daughter was marrying a murderer. Renee was caught by her husband and Charlie. They both held her on the ground fussing over her. They did not believe Victoria to be much of a danger. Edward wondered at that for a split second but Bella's cry caught his attention. _

"_Mom!" Bella took a step toward her. Edward stopped her and shook his head at her; if she went it would bring her closer to Victoria. The scum wanted to take Bella with her. _

"_Stay back, Bella," Edward warned her. She paid no heed to him as she stilled looked toward her mother. He took her head in his cheeks. "Listen to me, my love. Stay back!"_

"_OK," she whispered still hesitant. _

"_Yes, pet, stay back!" Victoria mocked. We all growled at her words. Jacob seemed to be having a harder time controlling himself. With Renée becoming a distraction the Cullen's and Jacob surrounded Victoria very quickly. _

"_Do you have proof, my child, that what you say is true?" The priest asked. _

"_Call a doctor for my mother-in-law," Edward ordered the priest without looking away from Victoria. Suspicious and doubt crossed the priest's mind but with Esme's insistence he agreed. He and Esme left to call the doctor from his office. Edward wished that Bella would leave but knew that she wouldn't. He couldn't afford to argue at this second. He had to protect her. _

_Edward stood in front of the red-headed with his father, brothers and Jacob at his sides and back crowding Victoria. _

"_Let's go outside, Victoria," Carlisle said softly. They took a step forward forcing her to take one backwards. _

"_Let's take care of this once and for all," Edward growled at her. Step by step they stalked her backwards to the doors of the church. One more step and Victoria would be out the door where they could attack her. But she took no other step backwards once they reached the threshold of the door. Victoria, suddenly, began laughing hysterically. _

"_What the hell is wrong with her?" Rosalie glared toward the front of the church. Both her and Alice were in the middle of the church in the aisle._

"_You may all kill me but I will take your pet with me!" Victoria yelled violently to Edward. _

"_NO!" Alice gasped clutching her head as the vision of the red-dress completely overwhelmed her. Rosalie caught her in her arms not knowing what to do. _

_Edward went numb not understanding what was happening. He saw in Victoria's thoughts the surety that she would kill Bella. But she was surrounded with no way to get to Bella. Suddenly, he understood everything. She could control any human to do as she commanded. An explosion of sound reverted through the church sending panic all through Edward's world. Edward turned to look at Bella. He saw her standing on the altar with complete surprise on her face gasping for breath. Edward saw in slow motion as Bella looked down her dress and brought her hand up to clutch her stomach. She struggle for breath as her hand overflowed with blood. _

"_No," Edward whispered and ran back to her as another shot rang through the church but Alice and Rosalie stood in his way. Time seemed to stop for Edward as he realized that he was a half a second too late from stopping the second bullet from hitting her chest. He caught her in his arms as the impact pushed her forward. _

_Edward did not pay attention to anything around him but Bella. He was told later that Rosalie took the gun away from Mike and knocked him out. Jasper and Emmett with the help of Jacob Black had killed and burned Victoria out in the woods. He only learned this many years later. In that moment he only knew the agony of knowing that he was losing the love of his life. He couldn't breathe or think as her beautiful white dress turned red with blood. _

"_It was not red!" he cried hysterically, "The dress was not red, Alice!! It only looked red because of the blood!!! It was not red!" _

"_Bella!" He vaguely heard Charlie cry next to him. "Oh, my beautiful daughter." Esme had run out when she had heard the sounds and held Renee when she awoke as they both cried soundlessly. Phil sat on the bench silently crying._

"_Carlisle!" Edward cried desperately looking up at his father when Bella's eyes fluttered closed. He had not, even, noticed when Carlisle had come. He heard Carlisle's thoughts before his father shook his head sadly. _

"_NO!" He cried, "No! I can change her! I can change her right here Carlisle!"_

"_No, Edward, you can not change her here… you would expose our secret," he said so low that only he could hear it, "And even if I allowed you to try… she would still die, my son."_

"_No! She can be saved! She can be!! I can change her!!" I refused to believe it and said it loudly not caring who heard me._

"_Hear me, my son. Listen to me! She either dies now with almost no pain or dies with excruciating agony. Edward she has been shot. She will not live through the transformation. Her body will not be able to take it." Carlisle kept his voice low and precise willing Edward to understand. Edward couldn't. _

"_No! She… she must, Carlisle… I can't… I can't live without her," he sobbed not seeing anything but the pain that his Bella was slowly leaving him. "Please, Carlisle, tell me you can save her." Edward knew his father's thoughts yet refused to believe them. He refused even as he saw Alice's vision become reality. Bella's beautiful white dress slowly became soaked with more and more blood. _

"_Carlisle," Charlie asked tears streaming down his face. Edward envied his tears, he wished he could cry, too. _

"_I'm so sorry, Charlie," Carlisle closed his eyes. "I'm so sorry." Carlisle went to him as he gasped and cried harder. Carlisle held him in his arms as they both shook and mourned together. _

"_Edward," Bella whispered. Edward snapped his eyes away from her wounds to see her warm brown eyes looking at him with such great sadness. "I don't want you to die, Edward. Please promise me that."_

"_No! Bella I can't. I can't live without you. I just can't."_

"_Please," she whispered. He shook his head rejecting her request yet not being able to deny her anything. "Whatever you want, my Bella…. I promise." _

_At his words, Bella seemed to forget the pain that she was in and acted as if nothing were wrong. _

"_The day is beautiful, isn't it?" Bella asked smiling brightly at him. _

"_Yes, Bella. Whatever you say," he chocked. Bella laughed very softly._

"_Please, don't be sad. I'll be OK." _

"_I will never see you again," he said. Alice thoughts told him so. _

"_Yes, you will. I know you will." She whispered very softly and had he not been a vampire he wouldn't have heard her. _

"_Where you're going… I can never go, Bella," he swallowed his sob. _

"_Yes, you can. I will be there waiting for you. Always." _

"_You will wait in vain. How can I join you when I have no…?" he stopped abruptly. Edward had not meant to say that out loud. His heart broke into a thousand pains and he knew with all his heart that it would never heal. Bella's eyes filled with tears. He had expected that, what he had not expected was her anger. Suddenly, she gasped angrily and glared at him. _

"_Well, if you don't go. Then I will just have to come get you!" _

"_Oh, my Bella," he hugged her tightly. Edward wished it were true. "Don't worry love. We will always be together. No matter what… we will be." _

"_Yes… We will…" She sighed._

"_I love you," Edward gasped knowing that he would not be able to say that to anyone else. Edward Cullen kissed his Isabella Swan for the last time. _

"_I love you," her last breath whispered. Edward heard as her heart beat its last beat. He yelled in great anguish that he had lost the love of his life. _

I felt the emotions of my wedding day hit me in my chest and made me cry out softly.

"Edward," Asheni reached for me.

"No!" I scrambled away from her. "Get away from me!"

She stopped hurt all over her face at my words.

"How could you know that?" I gasped. Some of the things she had said I had not even known. Alice had never informed me that she had told Bella about the vision that day. "How?"

"I dreamt it," she pleaded for me to understand but I couldn't, "Do you understand now?"

"No! Alice told you! She must have!"

"She told me nothing. I love you, Edward!"

"Leave me!" I yelled yet she made no move to get away, "Do you enjoy my pain?! I have endured this pain for a thousand years! Do you enjoy it?"

"It was unnecessary!" she yelled.

"What Asheni? Do you think that you can erase my memory and love for her? I loved her! I loved her and I lost her! I could never…" I ran out of words as a sob escaped me. She stepped closer and I growled at her to keep away.

"I told you that I would come back for you, didn't I?" she whispered. All emotion wiped away from me. "I promised that I would come back," tears began streaming down her face.

"What?" I couldn't think.

"I know the story because… it's me, Edward. It's me… Bella."

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	22. The End of Pain

Disclaimer: Well, I do not own the Twilight or New Moon books… :-D

Well, guys, I'm sorry it took me some time to update… I just got hit with the lazy bug for a bit… This is my last chapter!! WOO-HOO!! Hopefully it will answer your questions… well, not all of them 'cause I do want to write a sequel:-D

**Chapter 22: The End of Pain **

I stared at the girl who_ looked_ so much like my love. I stared at the girl who s_melled_ like my love. I stared at the girl who I knew would _taste_ as my love. I stared at the girl who said she _was_ my love.

"What did you say?" I whispered.

"You have to believe me. Of all the people, you have to." She demanded of me.

"No, no, I can't…" I shook my head, not being able to believe what she told me. If it were true… no, it couldn't be true; there was no possible way that it could be true.

"You know, it's me. Edward, you have always known. You have known it's me deep inside. It's me." She took a step toward me bringing her scent closer to me. I breathed in the scent that had been denied to me for centuries. The scent that I had believed would die with my Bella but according to this human Bella was not dead.

"No," I said once again shaking my head in denial not sure whether or not to believe it. "I… don't… how is it possible? How?"

"I…" she paused confused, "I don't really remember…"

"Of course not," I scoffed. Why would she remember something that was impossible? "Who put you up to this?"

"No one! Look, I am she but I just can't remember exactly how. My life as Bella is blurry but the one thing I do remember is you. Everything about you is clear."

"Really? How convenient," I told her sarcastically. I had no need to hear all these lies, so I turned back around to enter my house. I couldn't believe because if I did and it all turned out to be some game or lie, it would hurt more than before…

"Remember one of the nights we were in my room? It was the night after you asked me to marry you," she asked desperately wanting to convince me of something I was sure was all lies. I paused knowing that deep down inside of me there burned a tiny candle of hope. I waited to hear what she would say next for I remembered all of my nights with…

"You told me one night that you would love me and take care of me forever… that you would take me around the world and show me all the corners of it. You told me of that beautiful place on the shores of Scotland where the ocean fights with rocks. You said that was the second most beautiful place besides our meadow… our meadow… " she stopped holding her breath waiting for my response.

I couldn't think as her words washed over me. I had told Bella those exact words the night after we had gotten engaged. I searched my mind for a reason for her to know that. _Alice_, I thought desperately, _Alice must have somehow known._

"Will you take me there? Please?"

"Take you? Take you where human?"

"To the meadow, Edward."

She wanted me to take her to my meadow? To the place where Bella's remains rested; to the place that Bella's soul had left some time ago. The place that had all my memories wrapped together and where I could go to unravel them. She wanted to go there? Why? I had a sudden thought.

"Who put you up to this?" I almost growled.

"What?" she took a step back from me. I felt satisfaction at the flickers of fear that ran in her eyes but guilt came right at the heels of it but I ignored the guilt.

"Who put you up to this?!" I demanded taking a step toward her.

"No one, Edward, I have already told you that no one! Not Alice, not Jasper or anybody else."

"What about your little boyfriend? Did he tell you to come play with the vampire?"

"What? No!"

"Doesn't he know that it's dangerous to temp the lion?" I asked savagely.

"Edward, please. Quinn has nothing to do with this, either. Why would he anyways?" I saw questions in her eyes and knew that she did not know about her boyfriend's other form.

"Look just go, OK. I don't have time for games."

"Edward, please."

"Answer me one question, human. If you really are who you say you are then answer me this. How?"

"I told you how I know. I dreamt it Edward. I have always dreamt it. I just never remembered before," her words barely registered in my mind. She was still not answering my question. I turned back around. I almost jumped out of my cold skin when warm hands held my arms. I knew that I could easily and forcefully make her let go of me but the panic in her eyes hit a chord inside of my heart. Her eyes were the exact eyes of Bella when she would panic at the thought that I would leave her.

"Don't leave," she whispered. Without letting myself think I grabbed her and swung her across my back. I knew only one way to test whether she was lying or not. I did not want to take her there but I knew I had no choice.

"Close your eyes," I told her over my shoulders but her face was already buried in my back.

"I remember," was the only thing she said. I swallowed a knot on my throat and took her to the place that was most precious to me in the whole world. The meadow.

We reached it in less than 10 minutes. I unwrapped her arms from my neck and let her down in the shadows of the trees. She looked at me and walked to the center of meadow and closed her eyes tilting her head up to the sun. Watching her made my breath still in my useless lungs and I feverly wished that I could shed a tear because for the first time since I had come to Forks, I felt Bella's presence wrap me in its embrace.

I did not need any more explanations from her for I knew that Asheni Bells was my Isabella Swan. I felt my knees go weak at my realization and slowly dropped to my knees as I stared after my love in our meadow. I saw as she looked to the corner across from where I kneeled at the gravestone.

"I have always been scared of loud noises," she said softly walking very slowly toward her grave, "You noticed that… I jump at anything. It's from my nightmare, the one that I never remember the next morning. I only know that it completely terrified me. Remember, I sort of told you the day we talked about dreams? But until last night I did not know what that loud sound was… until last night I had never dreamt the whole thing." She paused only a few feet away from the stones that had her name engraved in it.

"It was my wedding day. I have always dreamt it but I had not known it. That loud noise that scared me was the sound of the gun going off." I heard her heart pound fiercely as she stood so close to her grave.

"You dreamt it? But how is it possible? How?" I asked before I realized that I had spoken. She slowly kneeled down and answered me without turning around.

"I—I promised I would come back to you. Didn't I? I—I promised so I have. I have been reborn, Edward. To be with you I have been reborn."

"Do you mean that… are you talking about reincarnation?" I forced myself to be loud enough for her to hear me through my clogged throat.

"Yes. I think so. I'm not sure how I did it but I did. I—I did something. I still don't remember it. It's confusing I know but… I'll try to explain it but I don't really understand myself," she turned to look at me and smiled sadly.

"Come," she pleaded with eyes. I slowly got up from where I kneeled and walked to the middle of the brilliance of the sun. I saw her eyes shine with tears and absolute adoration as she gazed upon my glittering skin. The lack of surprise in her eyes would have made me believe she was my love, if I hadn't been sure before.

"It's—it's just so hard to believe… I held her in my arms when she—when she, _you,_ died. I felt her blood in my hands. I buried her. I mourned her."

"I know," tears spilled down her cheeks, "but I have come back for you."

"I couldn't stand it, if it's not really you." I whispered as I stood before looking down at her kneeling down by her tomb.

"I am… I am Isabella Marie Swan," I looked beyond her as she spoke and she turned around following my gaze.

"I am not here anymore." She reached out to trace her name on her headstone. "I am here," she pointed to her heart.

"Is that why you smell like her?"

"Yes," she smiled, "You almost killed me again, didn't you?"

"Is that why you look like her?"

"Do I really still look like I use to?"

"If you are her, shouldn't you know?" I answered with a question.

"I don't remember how I looked. I told you some memories are blurry. I see me as Bella but…" she shrugged shaking her head not being able to explain.

"Yes," I told her, "you look exactly how you use to except you have moles where you didn't before."

She smiled touching her face. I wanted to trace her face and memorize it by sight and touch.

"Is that why you know your lullaby?"

"The lullaby?" she asked frowning. I felt my stomach hit bottom at her reaction. I felt doubt once again. My emotions kept changing like the weather in Texas. _I can't bear it if she has been lying to me,_ I thought. _I can't!_

"Yes, the lullaby, human. How do you know the lullaby?"

"I remember _you_ playing it to me all the time… but there's something…"

"What?"

"I don't know. Please, some things I just don't know the answer to."

I shook my head trying to clear it. She was telling me things that made me absolutely sure that she was _her _yet I knew the lullaby was important. There was something she had told me before about it but I couldn't put my finger on it.

"Tell me," she interrupted my thoughts, "Edward have you felt my presence here lately?"

I remembered the aching loneliness and despair I had felt the last time I had been here. I, also, remembered the way my house had called me to it and _she _had been there.

"No, not lately… I thought—I thought Bella had finally left me forever."

"I don't know how I know this but I have always been here. I have always waited for you to come visit to tell me what you did during the years you would leave Forks to make sure no one suspected the family that did not grow old."

"You were here? You could here me?" I whispered amazed. It seemed completely impossible.

"Yes," she smiled her beautiful warm smile at me. "I heard you. You told me once that you thought you had glimpsed me when you had gone to Italy in Volterra you said. You had followed a girl because her hair looked almost like mine but when you got close you realized that her hair wasn't at all like mine. You remember?"

I nodded shocked. I couldn't believe that she knew that. "You were here."

"Yes. That—that was the reason I… I did something to come back to you. You had looked so heartbroken," a tear ran down her beautiful cheeks, "that it had not been me. You said that you had hoped that something like what had happen when I went to save you would happen again. I can't explain to you why or how but I was here. I have always been with you, Edward."

"But I don't understand. If you could come back to me… why didn't you come back to me… before now? Why wait so…." I stopped. I felt flickers of anger that if she had wanted to, she could have stopped my pain a long time ago.

"I wanted to." She reached her hand to me but I did not dare take it. "I did. You have to believe me. It wasn't my choice to wait for so long." She seemed confused but barged through trying to explain to me the unexplainable. "I just couldn't come back earlier. I think… that… I think I gave something up to be here, Edward, to come back to you."

"What? What was it?" I needed to know. I knew that whatever it had been was important. I grabbed the hand that she had extended to me and I had not taken. I felt fear travel through my spine at her next words.

"I do not know. But I think I made a bargain… I am not sure, Edward. I am not sure."

"With who?"

"It doesn't matter," she shrugged. She surprised me by suddenly throwing herself into my arms to hug me fiercely. I clung back to her knowing that I held the love of my life in my arms once again. "It doesn't matter as long as we are together. It doesn't matter. I am here now…"

"How I have missed you, my Bella." I took a ragged breath burying my face in her hair. I hugged her tighter to me terrified that she could be easily taken away from me again. "I have missed you."

"I am so glad I can touch you now," she whispered in my ear, "I have longed to be able to touch you, Edward. I have craved your touch for so many years; able to see you but not touch you or talk to you. Now I finally can."

"Since the first time I saw you and your siblings in that parking lot, I knew. I knew that I had known you from before. It just took me a while and," she laughed, "some nightmares to actually remember it all or most of it."

"Do they know?" I wondered outloud.

"Who?" she asked crowding her body into mine. I felt unimaginable pleasure that I could feel her.

"Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie… you did come with them…?"

"No, I didn't tell them anything."

"I don't even think, Alice, saw this happening," I laughed.

"It just completely unbelievable," she laughed.

"Oh, Bella, my beautiful, Bella," I cried into her hair. My love had been returned to me in the reincarnation of Asheni Bells. "I have hungered for you for a thousand years. I have been in pain for so long. My thousand pains are over for you are here, now."

"Yes, together, Edward, like we were always meant to be."

We clung to each other as if there were no tomorrow forgetting the worries of the past, present and future. We only knew each other. We embraced in our meadow by an empty grave and I knew the real power of love. Love conquered everything.

**REVIEW!!! HOPE YOU LIKED MY ENDING:-D **

**SHOULD I DO A SEQUEL?? I will let everyone know if I do... There ARE some questions that went unanswered... lol**


	23. AN AWESOME NOTE from Author!

Hello GUYS!!

Thanks so much for all the AWESOME reviews! They meant a lot to me! I am glad that everyone liked my story.

AND….

I AM DOING A SEQUEL!!!!!!

The name of the story will be… (drum rolls)…

**An Angel for Edward**

:-D

I do hope that everyone will continue reading my story of Asheni Bells and Edward Cullen!!! I hope to answer the following questions with it…

Why Bella was named Asheni?

Why Ash's mom knows the lullaby?

What is UP with the lullaby?

What happens between Quinn and Ash?

What happens with the treaty and the pack?

Will Edward and Bella live happily-ever-after??!

AND…. The most asked question…

What bargain did Bella make to come back as Asheni???!!!

:-D

I will put up the new story or** try** to this weekend. I have started summer school now and will not have a lot of free time anymore. I will update it as much as I can

**THANK YOU to all my readers and reviewers!!!! **


	24. Sequel is UP!

**JUST WANTED TO LET EVERYONE KNOW THAT THE SEQUEL IS UP!!! **

**IT IS CALLED:**

**AN ANGEL FOR EDWARD**

**PLEASE READ & REVIEW!!!!!!**

**IT WAS FUN WRITING THIS STORY AND HOPE THAT YOU HAD FUN READING IT… Hope the sequel is just or more fun!!!!! **

**Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed!!!! I LOVED Y'ALL!! There was a whomping total of 551 reviews!!! THAT was FREAKING AwEsOmE!!! **

**I had 32551 hits!!... was part of 2 c2s... was a favorite of 125 awesome readers and had 124 alerts!!!! it was awesome!!! **


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